Prologue

Sasuke knew about the birds and the bees, of course. He wasn't immune to the effects and needs of the human body. It was that fact that he was precisely in this predicament. He was almost nineteen now, not a messed up sixteen-year-old too hell-bent on revenge to even consider there were such things as "the opposite sex." No, that hadn't concerned him since he was five, when he had something other than revenge on his brain. At the time of five, essentially where his brain left off after the war, rapid awareness of suppressed hormones took over his body like a shockwave. For a long time, he was able to ignore the feelings. But, it always came back to one thing, one person – Sakura.

Four weeks was all that it took to turn his life upside down – what little of a life he had, anyway.

She was not part of the plan, along with the turmoil she brought.

Four weeks earlier

It all started when he was called back to the village. He had been gone for a year, his only correspondence being with Kakashi and occasionally the Dobe. He felt it was his obligation to give a reply at least, though that wasn't always the case. Most of the time, his hawk, Garuda, would come back with frivolous information about life back in Konoha from Naruto (whose script was appalling and essentially illegible), and Sasuke would ignore it, as it didn't warrant a reply. What was he supposed to respond with when Naruto wanted to talk about his wife and them 'trying'' to start a family? Did Sasuke have to be the bearer of this unwanted mental image and secret?

He had received news just two days ago while he was traveling across the land of fire, three villages away from Konoha, when Garuda came swooping down and perched familiarly onto his shoulder. Sasuke quickly read through the information, committed it to memory, and, within minutes, headed back to Konoha. The message read:

Urgent mission, unsafe to write here. Come home.

Home, a strange synonym for Konoha. He hadn't considered it home since the day his family was massacred. Was he supposed to anymore? What little recompense could be considered family resided there, so Konoha would always be home in a small sense. He had convinced himself he had no home to return to and didn't deserve one. But, he was requested back to this "home", anyway. Who was he to refuse the Hokage, better yet, to refuse his old sensei?

Suppose he was taking his time to get home. June in Fire Country was beautiful, after all, and sweltering. He jumped through the bright green array of leaves as he landed on each branch - his mind reminded of their color in the eyes of a certain someone. His thoughts were rippling through his head like a rainfall of words and images. He couldn't quite catch one individually without it disappearing and replacing one another. Eventually, he ignored the thoughts and focused solely on his surroundings. He should have done so anyway; it wasn't safe anywhere, and always being on his guard was a non-negotiable.

When he managed to make it back to the village, without a drop of sweat - only nerves - Sasuke was greeted by the guards' whose faces were in a petrified state of surprise. News must not have spread that he'd be coming back. It was good that he had immunity from his crimes, or he'd be welcomed back with kunai to his throat – not that they would successfully bring him to his knees. Nonetheless, Sasuke was now more curious about what Kakashi had to tell him than before. This mission must be top secret.

He was in the Hokage's tower, a flash before Kakashi's eyes. His one arm lay comfortably across his chiseled, hard stomach. Covered in almost entirely black, oversized clothes (one reason to hide his missing arm and another to blend easier into the shadows), Kakashi vaguely thought there was a sudden, solid, faceless mass before him. Even without his Sharingan his eyes were quick - his mind was sharper. Behind his mask, Kakashi smirked. He rested his chin on his signature position atop the backs of his folded hands. In his swift observation of his former pupil, Kakashi deduced that the kid was taking care of his health, at the very least. There were small victories.

The silent standoff was enough to make Sasuke's eye twitch. As much as he'd been practicing his patience with others, it was hard to practice much when living a life of solitude. Kakashi was one of two people who tried his patience the most. It seemed like Kakashi was waiting for him to make the first move at polite conversation, an update of his travels, or an emotional greeting - none of which was going to happen. Instead, Sasuke stared at the aging man harder, the lilac tunnel eye of his Rinnegan peeking through his overgrown bangs.

One of them had to falter in the standoff, and Kakashi - believing himself to be the bigger person - valiantly relented with a curt sigh.

"Welcome home, Sasuke."

A small banner of relief danced in Sasuke's head that the older man finally gave in - he was starting to get irritable, and he didn't want to start his long-awaited (for everyone else) return with an uncharacteristic punch to the older man's face. Deciding to get on with the real point of this reunion, Sasuke gave an inaudible sigh.

"What's so important that I had to return to the village, Kakashi?"

The Konoha leader laughed heartily, "As impatient as always, huh, Sasuke?" The older man closed his eyes and feigned offense, his voice exaggerated with hurt, "No hello or stories about your journey? What about all the harems that accompany you in every village? Don't I deserve a small window into my pupil's exciting dance with the beautiful women in every village."

Now, Sasuke's eye was twitching. Even though he was almost sure the senile man was joking, it didn't help the fact that the pervert thought at all about his sexual encounters. Not that he had any, and not that he'd ever admit that to the likes of someone like Kakashi. He wouldn't even tell Naruto, even if the Dobe was technically his best friend - who unfortunately didn't return his restraint. Usually, an eye roll would suffice - chalk it up to hunger, sleep deprivation, or the weird comfort of being "home" - this time, Sasuke visibly grimaced and narrowed his mismatched eyes.

"Quit letting your imagination run wild. Stop being a pervert for once, and tell me what's going on."

Surprise, which was as disingenuous as his words had been, showed on what little one could see of the leader's face.

"Hm, I guess lovemaking hasn't made you less tense." He sighed exaggeratedly, "I suppose you may still be a virgin after all…I'm sorry to bring it up." A teasing stare held firmly on his never-aging face.

Sasuke was red; he was sure of it. He felt the tingle of a constant twitch above his hidden eye - small wins - but screwed up his face at the man. Before Sasuke could get a word out, Kakashi waved his hand flippantly at the younger adult and chuckled.

"Let's keep this meeting civil." His voice, which had just been jovial and silly, suddenly changed to a serious tone. "I have a top-secret mission for you. It's one that you can't speak to anyone about."

Yeah, I figured that much. Sasuke was unmoving.

"However, before I get into debriefing you, we should wait for your partner to arrive."

That changed things. Who would Kakashi send off with him for any mission, top secret or otherwise? Well, there were only two he was certain met the criteria, but surely -

The door opened then with a small accompanying knock. Sasuke's head shifted to the side, catching the pink hair strands in his peripheral. His heart stopped. That was new. He didn't like it one bit. He noticed the green eyes a second later. Then, the silky smooth, slightly sun-kissed skin covered in a cut-off sleeved red dress, the high collar hid half of her long, slender neck. The black fishnets underneath the dress did little to conceal her supple thighs. These observations ran through Sasuke like lightning and landed deep in his groin. He looked away quickly and hoped to whatever was in charge of the universe that he didn't resemble his favorite food - a tomato.

What was she doing here? She couldn't be his partner. If she were here, then Naruto would have to barrel through that door any minute. Kakashi may be sentimental, but there was no way he was trying to reunite Team 7 for some corny attempt at reliving the old days. Sasuke was tense, on guard, and paranoid now. Naruto would be here any minute, he was sure now. He had wanted to avoid the newlywed altogether, afraid he might get a verbal ear full of his best friend's marital escapades instead of suffering through them in a letter.

Sakura was in shock, sure to go into cardiac arrest. Sasuke, was he really here? The first round of emotions was shock. Kakashi had been vague about a new mission, only that it would take place with a partner and involve one of the Kages. Initially, the pinkette had assumed it was Kakashi's way of getting her to visit him. He'd done it before. The second wave was disbelief. She convinced herself that she missed the onyx and lilac-eyed man due to his long absence and her repressed sexual desire for him, that she imagined any dark-haired man as her Sasuke. But, the third wave was the strongest: pure rage. She was no longer a statue holding onto the Hokage door for dear life, her hand leaving a noticeable dent in the thick wood. In seconds, she was in front of him. Gripping the end of her black glove, she ripped it off, and her hand slapped against the rogue nin's pale face just as quickly. Sasuke, of course, could see it before it happened. He couldn't say he was surprised; more so, he wouldn't stop her from doing it. He supposed he deserved it. He actively avoided speaking to her for a year.

Kakashi smiled happily behind his mask, unmoving from his perched position, and let the situation unfold. It was good for the festering couple to vent their frustrations before a mission. He had a better idea of how they could get over this tension, but he would allow them to find that answer on their own. Until then, he'd let the chips fall as they may. Apparently, that involved physical assault, which was not as surprising coming from Sakura. What had been a bit of a shock was that Sasuke had let it happen. A year must have done more for the man in terms of kindness than the older man had initially thought.

Though the Kage had witnessed the admittedly cute forehead tap exchange to Sakura on Sasuke's way out, he didn't expect Sasuke to soften up to the medical-nin quite so much. It was a good surprise, nonetheless.

Sakura was panting. In her anger, she had lost control; in his absence, she had hardened her resolve. She was no longer willing to be walked all over and thrown to the side like trash. Now, she would show Sasuke exactly how she felt, since his lack of communication had done just that for her. Whatever, they wouldn't be together, that was fine, expected even. But, did he have to pretend as if she didn't exist? After all, they'd been through, all the years she searched for him, all the time she sacrificed, her heart in limbo for the last Uchiha - the very least he could have done was tell her to 'fuck off' in a letter. But, in heeding Ino's advice, no response is a response, and since receiving this sentiment, the pinkette has become consumed with rage. What was the point of the forehead poke - just to keep her on a string for later? Well, he could forget it! This broken heart was closed for repairs, and the criminal was now back to see the damage, but had no plans to pay reparations.

Sasuke was silent, as usual. His eyes never left the enigmatic green orbs, justifiably filled with rage. However, his silence was not because of loyalty to a stoic and unbothered persona but because he was surprised at the hurt that seeped through the anger. He'd hurt her, and without much regard at the time, it had done more to her than he'd expected. After so long of an absence in their adolescence, a year hadn't seemed like much of a sacrifice, but it seems he had miscalculated. Sakura is broken, and he'd been the sledgehammer that did it. Damn.

He wasn't sure if he should speak; would that fix anything? Words weren't his strong suit anyway, and he didn't come with a good enough excuse - if there had even been one. He was running away. That was the truth. He didn't want anything that brought happiness to interfere with his atonement, and he knew if he'd spoken to Sakura even once, he'd relent on this fruitless path. Could he tell her that? Could he be vulnerable enough to do that yet? He tried, but the words died in his throat. Through strained eyes trained on the hurting Jonin, he gently wrapped his large hand around her tiny wrist. The juxtaposition of such a small wrist connected to such a mighty hand was almost comical. She didn't jolt away from his touch, just flinched - which agitated him more than he'd like to admit - so Sasuke held the hand to his chest. It was all autopilot. He didn't even know why he did it, much less why he was doing it in the company of Kakashi (who was uncharacteristically quiet). One word escaped his lips, which to himself sounded almost like a plea, "Sakura."

The woman almost melted like butter. She was touching him, he was touching her, and her name rang from his lips like a prayer. What was this? What was going on? Was he playing some kind of game? The anger was back, though admittedly much less dangerous and feral. For a moment, the green-eyed woman let the situation fester. Some part of her brain, probably occupied by the lovesick child buried deep in her psyche, allowed him to hold her like this - it was comforting. But, she quickly snatched her hand away, composed herself, and turned her back on the perplexed Uchiha. She all but slammed her hand down onto the Hokage's desk, who was utterly unbothered by the action, and pointed to the relaxed leader.

"Why didn't you tell me he was back?"

It would have been wise for Kakashi to answer this question perfectly, but he simply shrugged his shoulders. He was almost happy to let the angry Jonin smash his desk, so he'd have a slight reprieve from the mountain of paperwork.

"I didn't tell you, Sakura, because I wanted it to be a surprise," He said as if it was apparent. She supposed it was. Her eyes narrowed at him. The leader, slightly nervous now, held his hand out in surrender. "I'm joking. I didn't tell you because the mission is secret, and Sasuke and you must be off on the mission tonight."

The debriefing was just as uneventful as it was informative. The two ninjas learned that Gaara, the Kazekage, was afflicted with a mysterious disease and that no one outside this room knew about it. It went without saying that no one could know. It may cause panic in Suna, but if it got out, it could open up a window of attack. The world was not in peace, as much as wartime was behind them. Any small offset could cause a ripple that may be hard, if not impossible, to contain. No one, much less Kakashi, wanted to fight a war again.

It made sense now for Sakura to be appointed to this mission, but his place in it was still ambiguous. It was starting to seem like this mission was not so much a top-secret, requiring two trusted nin, but a thinly veiled attempt at matchmaking.

With a swift wave of his hand and a weak excuse that no one could verify, the Hokage shuffled the two troubled ninjas out of his office.

The two awkwardly stood outside the bending hallway, unsure what to do. Should the two set off immediately? Kakashi hadn't mentioned that it was particularly urgent, but the subject matter seemed otherwise. Sasuke quickly assumed something was missing, the vagueness of the details being his biggest hint to this deduction. No one could give them a clear understanding of the mission. If it wasn't enough that Sasuke was now enemy number one to his mission partner, he was also confident that Kakashi was expecting a much different outcome to this mission than a cured Kage.

"We should build up our strength," He said flatly. He didn't look at the Pinkette as he said it and took his leave down the curved hallway. He walked slightly slower than usual, clocking that Sakura seemed somewhat exhausted. Had she been on a mission just before this? Her clothes had smudges of indeterminable stains, her face had dirt marks, and her eyes looked ready to shut at any minute.

"What do you mean?" She calls after the retreating back of the last Uchiha. She didn't put much effort into catching up to him, instead keeping pace behind him.

Sasuke watched her without turning his head. Why was she behind him like a child? He slowed his steps even more, and quickly, she gained up on him, making it to his side without much notice that he'd delayed his steps.

The two entered into the dark Konoha night. The dazzling lights of a vibrant and newly constructed Konaha held wonders Sasuke didn't even know existed here. He didn't stick around to explore what all was rebuilt. He quickly left after being released from prison, not sticking around to be gawked at as he riffled through the new Konoha streets. But a year had passed, and he'd slowly gotten over caring if the village saw him any particular way. Traitor, hater of Konoha, the last Uchiha, or any number of monikers towards him didn't seem interesting to him. Right now, he wanted to make sure Sakura didn't fall over as they walked side by side down the light-up, lively, new Konoha streets. It was a sight to see by anyone's standards. He wasn't opposed to beauty. However, none of it felt like home. The amount of new buildings and businesses, even houses, was almost overwhelming. It felt like some other city entirely.

In his reverie, he still managed to notice Sakura. Her eyes looked down at her feet, which were slowing, and her body swayed a little. She was more than exhausted. He was almost tempted to sweep her off her feet, jump to the nearest food stand, order the whole menu, and force it down her throat. Was this exhaustion from not eating, or was it something else? It couldn't be an emotional strain. He wasn't so egotistical to believe he could put her in such a state.

He didn't know what possessed him to stop at this particular restaurant. Maybe it was by some sick design. But, it was the closest restaurant to him when he realized his companion's stumbling, and he was quick to rectify her situation by any means. That included being in the wrong spot at precisely the right time. Pushing back the curtains to the upgraded and expanded Ichiraku Ramen, his eyes landed on the noticeably shorter mass of blonde hair. Next to it was an absurdly long pile of blueish-black hair. At that moment, he knew he'd made a mistake. But Naruto was so attuned with chakra that Sasuke had no means of escape aside from abandoning his comrade. He'd have vanished if it had been anyone other than Sakura. With a mouth overly full of ramen, the blonde idiot turned to witness his best friends enter Ichiraku together, and the future Hokage began to choke.