Author's note: I actually had some good things happening for once this week, with quite some luck, so until life decides to smack me in the face again, have this NOT FOR SAKURA FANS oneshot I whipped up in celebration of the good things that happened this week :)

Warnings: Dual pov, that being Sakura's and Naruto's; canon divergent right after the war; established slash; implied mature content; very oblivious Sakura; NOT FOR SAKURA FANS

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto owns it.

I hope you'll like it!

Rumour Has It

"Did you hear?"

Sakura didn't look up from the file she was finishing. Anzu loved to gossip, Sakura had noticed ever since she had started to work at the hospital, and could run her mouth for hours if nobody reminded her of the patients she had to visit. Sakura had learnt to tune her out pretty quickly as soon as she heard that eager voice questioning, "Did you hear?"

"What is it this time?" Himari asked disinterestedly, handing over her own files to the desk worker before taking a hair tie out of her pocket to put her hair into a ponytail.

"They say Uchiha is coming back."

Hearing the last name of her former team member had Sakura freezing up, staring unseeingly at the paper in front of her. Sasuke was coming back? For real this time? He was actually going to stay in the village?

Ever since Sasuke had left on his journey two years ago, she had only sporadically seen him. He stayed in contact with Kakashi through letters and only showed up occasionally, never staying longer than two days at most. Usually by the time she got wind of the fact that he was in the village, he had left again and there was no telling when he would next show up.

She had offered to join him the first time he had departed on his journey, but he had rejected her. His rejection had been rather kind, especially compared to his less than subtle ones in the past, but it had still stung nonetheless. She didn't understand why he insisted on travelling alone; wouldn't he want someone with him? After all those years, she would have thought he would have wanted a familiar face around while he travelled around the world, doing god knew what.

"He has come back before," Himari pointed out, pulling Sakura's attention back to the conversation. "That's not that new."

"Yeah, but now they're saying he's here to stay!" Anzu riposted, bracing her arms against the edge of the desk. She grinned; her glossy lips shining in the light. "You know what else they're saying?'

"No, but I'm certain you'll tell me," Himari said with a sigh, finishing her ponytail.

Anzu pouted, poking Himari's hip. "You can sound a bit more enthusiastic, you know. I know you don't swing that way, but you can't deny he's hot."

"I've got other patients to visit," Himari said primly, but Anzu grasped her elbow before she could leave, whining slightly.

"Okay, okay, fine! I heard that Uchiha's planning on permanently staying this time!"

"I doubt that means your chances with him actually increase."

"Oh wow, rude. Seriously, ouch."

Sakura tuned out the rest of their conversation when it shifted to them complaining about their paperwork and instead looked down at the file in front of her. Sasuke was planning on actually staying this time? He would make Konoha his home again? Hope flared up.

Did this mean … she actually had a chance with him still?

It would have been easy to file Anzu's remarks away as simple gossip, if not for the fact that others in the village were discussing Sasuke's return as well.

Apparently he had already returned, but so far Sakura had been unable to find him. What she did hear from other villagers, however, had her hope soaring in a way that it hadn't done in years and had butterflies racing up a storm in her belly.

"I told you he came back for the plans," an elderly man admonished his granddaughter.

Old man Yamada was a well-known architect, having created the blueprints for nearly all the houses of the major clans. Even people from other villages often travelled to Konoha in the hopes of having him draw up their new residences.

"You can't blame me for being sceptic, jii-san," the girl chided with a laugh. "I didn't think he would actually return. I mean, Uchiha hasn't lived in the village for years, right? I didn't believe he would want to return actually."

"The plans aren't for in the village," Yamada denied, picking up some carrots and dropping them in the basket. "I believe he's planning on making a new property somewhere in the woods."

"The woods, huh?" the girl echoed bemused. "Well, to each their own, I guess. I wouldn't want to live there, though."

"No, you would miss the shops too much," he smirked.

The two of them continued their grocery shopping whilst ribbing each other in a way only close family could do without setting the other person off. Neither of them were aware of the pink haired woman, who had stood nearby, overhearing their conversation with wide eyes.

So Sasuke was actually settling down? He had returned to Konoha to live here? He was finally ready to put down his roots? What had convinced him to do so after two years?

No matter, Sakura shook her head and started piling oranges in her bag with a grin. The most important part was that Sasuke was finally ready to stay! No longer would he leave for months on end, leaving them all to wonder whether everything was still all right with him. Certainly, living in the woods seemed like an odd choice considering he still had the Uchiha compound available to him – albeit it needed a fair bit of fixing up after all those years of remaining empty combined with Pein's attack – but what did it matter? Sasuke was going to stay and that was the most wonderful news she had heard so far! This definitely meant she would get to see him soon!

The rumours of Sasuke settling down in the woods near Konoha quickly spread throughout the village after that. There were those who were less than enthusiastic, thinking stupidly that Sasuke didn't have the right to live here anymore, acting as if they knew him so well. Most of the villagers, however, were quite positive about it; a lot of the women were certainly happy with the news, eager to get to know the last Uchiha heir now that he had been pardoned officially for a couple of years already.

It made Sakura scoff and roll her eyes whenever she heard one of those women simper and hope aloud that they would get to talk to Sasuke soon. Did they honestly think they stood a chance? As if Sasuke would go for a woman who he didn't know!

"He's not exactly going for you either, you know, Billboard Brow," Ino pointed out ruthlessly during their weekly dinner.

Sakura flushed and pouted. "You're supposed to be on my side, Ino-pig," she complained, selecting a piece of pork from the barbecue.

"Sure, but as your best friend I'm also obliged to tell you to remain realistic," Ino said serenely, sipping from her juice. "He hasn't shown any sort of interest in you in years; I'm not sure why you think anything is going to change now."

"Because he's going to live here again," Sakura said. "He has been travelling around for two years, but all of a sudden he has decided to make his home here again. Don't you think there has to be a reason for that?" she asked enthusiastically.

"That he's tired of travelling and sleeping outdoors?" Ino replied dryly.

"You're no fun," Sakura sighed and threw her napkin at her friend.

"Just saying, don't get your hopes up too much," Ino cautioned her.

Yeah, yeah, she knew she couldn't be too hopeful, but really, Sasuke had to have returned for a reason, no? And she would find out, one way or the other! She had to catch him eventually. There was only so many times you could miss someone whilst living in the same place after all!

Sakura had tried to find out where exactly Sasuke was building – or letting build – his new house, but Yamada was tight-lipped as always and none of the construction firms were of any help either. As Sasuke's former teammate, didn't she have a right to know where he was planning to live?

Apparently not, according to a stone-faced Yamada. He was honestly quite rude, Sakura didn't get why so many people were enamoured with him. He might be skilled at creating houses, but clearly his personality suffered underneath those skills.

Three months, it had been so far since Sasuke had returned to the village, and in all that time Sakura had only come across him a couple of times. Those meetings had always ended far too quickly, barely a couple of words that were exchanged and invitations to dinners that led to nothing. It was becoming rather frustrating, she admitted to herself as she tugged her coat closer around her, making her way through the street.

Sasuke always acted quite mysterious, never once revealing why he had returned to Konoha. She was his friend, surely he could tell her what had made him change his mind! Unless …

Her cheeks stung as a forbidden thought rose up.

Unless she was the reason he had returned and he was planning something? That had to be it, right? Why else would he be so taciturn every time they saw each other? Well, more taciturn than normally at least. If he was planning something for her, that would explain why he was so reluctant to tell her anything!

Could that be it? Was she perhaps reading too much into this? But what else could it be? Naruto didn't have an idea either, though he seemed to have at least an idea where Sasuke lived nowadays. Every time she tried to ask him where she could find Sasuke, though, something always came up. Either he had to leave or she had and now, three months later she still had no idea where Sasuke could live. Maybe she should just drag Naruto to Ichiraku's and ply him with ramen before asking him for Sasuke's location? That might work; Naruto would do anything for ramen.

Back to Sasuke's plan, though. What could he have in mind? What could it be that he couldn't reveal to Sasuke?

Something dark flashed in the corner of her eye and automatically she turned her head, perking up when she saw Sasuke a bit further down the road, striding purposefully to somewhere. She opened her mouth, ready to call out to him, but closed it abruptly when she saw him entering a shop.

Not just any shop, however. It was The Gilded Rose, the most expensive jewellery store in Konoha – and perhaps outside the village as well. Sakura had overheard mum sighing about their beautiful golden rings before and the rare jewels they managed to imbed in those rings. Dad had once taken one look at the rings displayed behind the glass, then at the accompanying prices and had promptly choked in his own spit before telling mum that if she was willing to wait ten to fifteen years then maybe he would be able to buy her a present.

Mum was definitely holding him onto that promise and was counting down the years.

What was Sasuke doing here? Since when was he interested in jewellery? She tried to remember whether she had ever seen him wearing any sort of jewels, but she couldn't. He had never seemed the type for it to begin with, so where did the interest in this shop come from?

Guided by her curiosity she walked to The Gilded Rose and peeked inside the window. The first person she saw was the owner herself: a beautiful brunette with an air of maturity to her that made Sakura pout slightly, feeling jealous. Even though she was no longer a teenager, sometimes she worried she would never be able to gain the type of maturity that women like The Gilded Rose's owner seemed to have in spades.

The owner was smiling, explaining something to Sasuke, who was standing in front of a glass display case near the counter. He was nodded thoughtfully to whatever she was saying and after a pause, he indicated something within the display case.

Curiosity definitely piqued now, Sakura bent towards the window even more, wanting to know what kind of jewel had attracted Sasuke's attention.

The owner pulled a key from one of her pockets, opened the display case and lifted something out of it. When she held it up in the air, showing it to Sasuke, Sakura's breathing hitched.

It was a beautiful golden ring with a white shimmery stone – diamond perhaps? – attracting all the attention. The type of ring that would no doubt turn heads when worn.

The type of ring that often acted as an engagement ring.

Feeling a bit light-heated, Sakura somehow managed to make her way back home without tripping over her own feet or god forbid, actually fainting. She stared blankly at her bed – when had she managed to get up the stairs? – before she fell down in it and grabbed her pillow, just in time to muffle her excited shriek.

Guess she might have an idea after all what Sasuke might be planning!

"And can you believe Iruka-sensei didn't even trust me to stay with his class alone?" Naruto ranted, throwing himself down onto the couch. "He claimed I might teach them things that aren't class-related! The distrust, I tell you!"

"But was he right to distrust you?" Sasuke asked dryly, coming around the couch to join him.

Naruto paused and pouted slightly, glancing away while he crossed his arms. "It would have been class-related. Somewhat," he muttered before he whirled around and pointed his finger at Sasuke. "But I still resent the distrust! I'm more than capable to watch over a class!"

"Hm, and more than capable of teaching them stuff they shouldn't know," Sasuke snorted. "I think it was a good call of him not to let you alone with them."

"You are so mean," Naruto sniffed and looked away, brightening when he realised that the walls had received a new colour. "Oh, you finally managed to find the blue colour of paint you wanted?"

"Hm, took a while, but I found it," Sasuke confirmed. "I finished painting it this morning."

"I could have helped, you know," Naruto pointed out and scuttled closer to Sasuke, grinning when he rested his hand on Sasuke's thigh, making the other man raise an eyebrow. "So does this mean the entire house is finished now?"

"Everything is finished, yes," Sasuke answered. "The last details got done today."

"So," Naruto shuffled even closer until he ended up straddling Sasuke's lap, bracing his arms on Sasuke's shoulders, "does this mean I can finally stay the night then?" he asked impishly.

Yes, because it's not like you haven't spent the night together before, Kurama grumbled sourly.

Naruto ignored him like usual. Kurama would give in and realise Sasuke wasn't that bad eventually. He just needed more time.

Never going to happen, kit.

"You can," Sasuke smiled, but twisted his head to the left when Naruto ducked down eagerly to kiss him. "But I've got to ask you something first."

"Oh?" Naruto leant back, curious, and put his hands in his own lap. "What do you want to ask?"

I've got a bad feeling about this.

"You know I'm not good with talking," Sasuke began, smiling wryly when Naruto snorted, because duh, understatement! "And the last thing I want is to mess this up. I don't have a speech prepared but,"

He took a deep breath and his hand left Naruto's hip to cover his pocket. "I just want you to know that you mean everything to me. Even when we were just kids, you've always been there."

"Aw, that's so sweet of you," Naruto teased, but Sasuke wasn't done yet.

"And the fact that you stood by me for all these years, even when the rest of the world turned against me – that means everything to me," Sasuke continued and Naruto sobered up.

"Of course I stood by you," Naruto said and cupped Sasuke's cheek, placing a soft kiss on the tip of his nose. "I told you, you wouldn't get rid of me. I wasn't going to abandon you; never planning on doing so."

"I know and it took me too long to realise that," Sasuke said and breathed out; his warm breath caressing Naruto's mouth. "I need you to know that it's the same for me: I'm never going to abandon you. Never."

"I know," Naruto said, smiling a bit bemused. Where was this going exactly?

"So with that said," Sasuke took another deep breath and unearthed something from his pocket. "I know this isn't exactly perfectly romantic, but – will you marry me, Naruto?"

He lifted his hand, showing a golden band with a glittering diamond in the middle of it. Nothing too ostentatious, nothing gaudy. Just beautiful. Perfect. And when the light caught the ring just so, Naruto's breathing hitched when he read the two words engraved into the ring, one on each side of the stone.

My Sun.

"So what do you think?" Sasuke asked softly and smiled crookedly. "Do you want to stand by me for the rest of my life?"

"Definitely, you bastard," Naruto choked out and flung himself around Sasuke's neck, hugging him tightly. "I can't believe you – you never said anything about this!"

"Well, I wanted it to be a surprise," Sasuke chuckled; his arm resting warmly around Naruto's back. "And I wanted our home to be finished before I asked you."

"So that's why you were so hellbent on getting this house finished as soon as possible," Naruto teased, but his eyesight was a bit blurry and his hand shook slightly when he pulled back, holding his hand out to Sasuke.

Sasuke slipped the ring around his finger – a perfect fit. Like that was a surprise. Of course Sasuke would know his ring size; Naruto didn't even know it himself!

"I wanted things to be perfect," Sasuke said simply, as if he hadn't just asked a life-changing question.

"Our friends are going to freak out," Naruto snickered, waggling his fingers. He couldn't help but stare in wonder at the ring adorning his finger now. The weight was noticeable, alien, but oh so very welcome. "I'm going to need to get you a ring too."

"Sure," Sasuke agreed easily, but when Naruto looked at him, those dark eyes had turned into Sharingan and Rinnegan, no doubt to memorise this scene for eternity.

Naruto smiled and this time Sasuke met him halfway when he leant forwards to kiss him. Using the hand with the ring to tug at Sasuke's hair softly, Naruto kissed him deeply before slowly parting, grinning when Sasuke simply chased after his mouth.

"I think we've got something to celebrate, don't you?" he suggested not too subtly and couldn't help but yelp in surprise when Sasuke instantly rose up, forcing him to swing his legs around Sasuke's waist or fall down on his butt.

Sasuke didn't even give him a chance to admire the décor of their new bedroom before he threw Naruto on the bed and crawled on top of him, tugging at his shirt insistingly. They made quick way of undressing each other, having perfected their moves after nearly two years of being together. In those two years they had spent a lot of time apart, but they would no longer have to do that. From now on, they would be together, here, in their own home.

There was the vague thought that they really should inform their friends about their engagement soon – before they figured it out on their own, like they had figured out themselves that Sasuke and Naruto had started to date – but all that was forgotten when Sasuke sank inside him, capturing his mouth at the same time.

It felt good to be home.

The End

AN2: You can say that Sakura wouldn't be that oblivious, but I will just refer to canon; see for example the lava scene and the genjutsu scene.

Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.

I hope to see you all back in my future stories! Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!

Cuddles

Melissa

P.S. For more information about my upcoming and posted stories, please visit my profile.