Chapter 1

High in the sky, beyond cotton-like clouds and hazy rays of light, the sun rose. Sweat—sticky and saltine— ran down the teacher's prominent forehead and neck slowly, as if the droplets were racing. She blotted her face with a napkin and fiddled with the ceiling fan, flicking the lights on and off.

"Haruno-sensei…You have to pull on the string."

Oh, right, of course.

Satisfied with the breeze, Sakura awkwardly clambers down from the student's desk and makes her way to the front of the classroom. The glow of her cheeks fades with each powerful oscillation from above.

Sakura smiles at the group.

"On your desk, Konoha has donated a medical kit with basic necessities in them. This is a gift from your village, and I am here to show you how to use it. Please, go ahead and open it."

The war had affected everyone in more ways than one. With fewer shinobi and an abundance of duties, commoners took the brunt of the workload and as a result, faced a sudden influx of injury. As someone who experienced first hand the plight and strain of surrounding hospitals, Sakura had the unique idea of teaching basic first aid to as many villagers as possible.

"What's this?" A boy asks. The assortment ahead of him was intimidating. Some things were easily recognizable–peel-and-stick bandages and rubber gloves to name a few. He lifts up the small object.

Sakura nods. "That is a finger splint."

A girl speaks up from across the room. She's rifled through her package without care, letting the items tumble over the tops of her desk. "We don't need this stuff,"

"You don't bleed?" Sakura questions. "You don't break bones?"

She frowns. "We don't bleed and break bones like ninja do."

Civilians often thought of themselves as less—and that was something Sakura understood deeply. Civilians, however, were capable of providing preliminary care in a multitude of cases.

The boy from before sighs, turning his face towards the window just as Sakura starts to explain more items within the plastic box.

Nothing fun happened in Konoha anymore. The buildings all sparkled like new, the trees didn't show the smallest ounce of char and the cobblestone roads didn't have deep, crumbling cracks within them. It was a time of peace. Lame, uninteresting peace.

Moving through the street, a dark figure stands out amongst the crowd. Ninja and commoner alike part for him, as if they were repelling magnets. His gait is unfamiliar to the boy; his clan sign isn't. That same fan symbol had been all over buildings and sidewalks at one time…though weathering and graffiti had worn them away. Even fewer of them existed since the Great Assault of Pain. The student cranes his neck, watching the sway of black, spikey locks as they rebounded from the breeze.

He raises his hand, interrupting his teacher. "Haruno-sensei, is that Sasuke Uchiha?"

Everyone who didn't live under a rock knew about Team 7. Naruto Uzumaki was the Hokage-to-be, the savior of the world alongside his lifetime friend and ex-enemy, Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura Haruno was…well…the healer or whatever. People say she has a nasty attitude and a right-hook to match it, but she didn't seem all that scary to him.

If they were once teammates, maybe she'd like to talk to the guy. Maybe something, not boring, would happen.

Sakura was at the window in an instant. While the people on the street below may have been repelling magnets, doing their best not to touch or glance in the dark man's direction, his teacher was an attraction.

Sakura opens the windowsill easily, though years of paint had it permanently shut. A sharp burst of air forces her eyes closed and her hair to flare around, almost like a pink, woven halo. Gathering her voice, the teacher yells out to the people below.

"Hey, wait, Sasuke-kun!"

The students jump from their desks. They're all hoping to chance a glance at the famous Uchiha shinobi. He had been infamous at one time—an enemy to the very village he'd grown up in. Their elders had told them otherwise, and the civilian children accepted the fact dutifully.

Sasuke stops and turns, giving them a quick glance at his purple-rimmed eye and the paleness of his tough, impassive face. Nations and Gods alike feared this man. He could rival Kage, the Sannin, and most importantly Naruto. As they gape in awe, Sakura stands frozen, gripping the wooden ledge until her knuckles turn white.

One year.

That's how long it's been since Sakura's seen him.

Like a whisper, she can still feel the pressure of his fingertips upon her forehead and the ache in her heart as she watches his back fade into the horizon. Sasuke was a ghost—a fleeting, effervescent man with a soul that didn't stay in one place longer than necessary.

The napkin Sakura had gathered in her hand danced around like a white flag of surrender. Sakura could do nothing to keep hold of it. Everyone watches in amazement as the cloth vanishes from her palm, replaced by Sasuke's firm grip.

"Sakura," he says, utilizing amenotejikara.

The mere sound of her name falling from his lips sends a wave of heat across the bridge of her nose.

Sasuke wasn't particularly heavy. He was a muscular man with a lithe build. However, the sudden and unexpected weight of his body almost sends Sakura over the ledge, and digging her hand into the wooden frame is all she can do to keep steady. When she pulls him through, she notices the scent of fire that wafts off him.

Sakura wants to ask how he's been. She wants to ask why he didn't make it to Naruto's wedding, even though he'd been in town. Why hadn't he bothered to reply to her letters? Does he miss Konoha?

Does he miss her, as much as she misses him?

Instead, she stares, like all of the other students surrounding them, mouth closed and body unmoving.

Sasuke is used to such reactions, be it his previous status as a traitor or his genetics. It does not matter. He breaks away from Sakura's confused gaze and looks around the small children's space. Encouraging posters lined the walls alongside hand-made artwork. The scent of crayons and wet glue lingered heavily. Nothing was familiar.

"No way! Are you really Sasuke Uchiha?"

The outburst pulls Sakura back into reality slowly. She sees a little girl bolt forward, reaching out for Sasuke as she fawns over his looks. Another one tells him to do something cool, "Like, set my homework on fire or something!"

"Can you fly?"

"Why's your eyeball so weird?"

"Are you Haruno-sensei's husband? Is that why you're holding hands?"

Blanching, Sakura rips her hand away from Sasuke and sputters. After tripping over the first sentence, she gives up and waves her finger towards the abandoned desks, settling for a power-trip. "All of you, back to your seats! I didn't say you could get up!"

They sigh collectively. Nonetheless, they all listen to their senior and slink towards their spots, feet dragging. When the last one is settled, the woman turns towards her old teammate and falls into the familiar trap of his beauty all over again.

Damn.

Sasuke seemed to keep growing and growing. By now, he was two heads taller than she was, and his broad shoulders only added to his masculinity. She'd always thought that Sasuke belonged in a painting above someone's fireplace. He had a timeless sort of beauty—the same kind Hinata shared, and seeing him so close could be overwhelming.

Clearing her throat, Sakura gestures towards the desk chair. "Would you like a seat?"

"I'm not staying long."

Sakura should have known that. He was moving quickly through the street before, no doubt heading towards the Hokage tower. If he were to come to Konoha for anything, it would be mission-related.

Sakura smiles, "Ah, well…anything I can help with?"

"Where is Naruto?"

Sakura's not sure how to break the news. Naruto would have told his best friend…wouldn't he? "He left with Hinata for Cha no Kuni. They're finally celebrating their marriage."

Sasuke does not seem pleased. Before Sakura has a chance to explain, a wad of paper flies towards them and thunks against the man's temple. A dead, eerie quiet spreads throughout the room. The paper rolls from Sasuke's shoulder and onto the floor.

"Some ninja you are! How can you be elite if you can't even dodge my notes?"

Sakura growls, wiping the shock off her face in two seconds flat. Gathering the crumpled sheet in her hand, the woman chucks out a splitter and smacks the kid dead center, popping his forehead nicely. The force is enough to jar him from his seat and splay him out to the floor below. Everyone erupts in simultaneous laughter.

"Don't throw stuff in my classroom!"

"But…you threw something, too!"

Sakura stomps her foot. "I'm the teacher, so I can do what I want!"

The back and forth prattles on, and Sasuke makes his silent departure. Now that he knows Naruto was out of town, his last option was a meeting with Kakashi, which would be unpleasant.

He doesn't bother saying anything to Sakura, and she doesn't notice he's gone until a saddened student moans her dismay. "Aw, he disappeared…"

It was very much Sasuke's character to exit quietly into the night. It is daytime, however, and Sakura pretends that is why it hurts a little bit more.

...:::*:::...

Sakura hears a scratch at her front door.

She moved out of her parents' home when she turned eighteen, partly for privacy and partly because of her duties. The young woman had taken to wearing many hats as time progressed. She was now the Head of the Medical Department, and a Director and teacher of medical ninjutsu on top of her rounds as Doctor Haruno at the hospital.

When she flings open her door, she's only slightly surprised to see Pakkun behind it. He walks in as if he owns the place, padding his little paws down the short length of her foyer. "Nice place you've got, kid. Any snacks?"

Five minutes later, Sakura is sharing her dining room table with Kakashi's ninken. He scarfs down his second plate of chow, which Sakura keeps on hand for when Kiba and Akamaru decide their injuries don't warrant a hospital visit. After licking his small feet, Pakkun gestures towards his collar.

"Kakashi's got a mission for you."

The Hokage would send information via his summon if it wasn't urgent. He was rather busy and always went by the book, refusing to leave paperwork for the next day. Sakura doesn't complain about the short notice anymore. Instead, she reads the scroll briefly and uses her cell phone to call her clinic—it looks like she'll head a Genin over to Tea Country, and will be gone no longer than a few days.

Because it is a Genin, Sakura prepares extra items. Genin rarely went outside of the village, so they didn't always know what to expect. It's strange that she's not leading a team, but perhaps it's due to the scarcity of ninja. She scans the parchment once more, looking for any hints on who she might be taking—male, female, distinguishing characteristics. There is nothing.

Sakura hopes that she'll run into Naruto and Hinata. Though it's only been a few days, she was excited at the prospect of seeing them relaxed and in love, though not so much prepared to see them…what was the technical term? Post-coitus?

She blushes, stuffing one final blanket into her tan satchel.

...:::*:::...

There's only one road out of Konoha; a road that holds many memories. A large, decorative vase now sits where an old stone bench used to be. It was where Sakura sat when Sasuke called her annoying (the first time). It's where Team 7 began, where they all gathered before their first mission, where Sasuke almost kissed her…

…but she digresses. After all, they were just twelve at the time.

She walks in an impatient circle, listening to the clack of her sandals on the cobblestone. The sound reminds her of something she'd rather not remember—the night Sasuke defected. Her eyes glass over and the moment comes rushing in.

"Sakura,"

The voice is not inside of her head. Although it's familiar, the timbre is several tones deeper than it had been that fateful night. The hairs on the back of her neck rise, anyways. Perhaps they were trying to shield her—a reaction to when he'd knocked her out all those years ago.

Sasuke Uchiha stands behind Sakura in his striped, brown poncho. His hair is tousled from the morning winds. Large wrappings keep his fringe down, covering his new, colorful eye just so. No, not new—it's been just over a year now.

"Hey there, Sasuke-kun, are you heading out?" Of course he is. That's why he's at the gate.

Sasuke doesn't look like he's in a hurry. In fact, Sakura's a bit stunned that he'd bothered to stay the night in Konoha at all. It must have been the first time since…his imprisonment.

Where did he sleep? It couldn't have been Naruto's home. Kakashi's mansion surely had a couch to spare. Or, maybe he stayed with…someone else.

She swallows.

Caught between fight or flight, Sakura looks at the watch that dangled from her pack and she slowly turned towards him. The sun was just barely peeking from beyond the horizon. It wasn't unusual for Genin to show up late, but it certainly didn't sit well with her.

"I'm heading to Cha no Kuni. Genin escort mission." She explains. "They're running a little late."

Sasuke's eyebrow raises at this. Without a doubt, Kakashi had decided to spin a web and tie his former students together within it. The man sighs, not prepared for what traveling with Sakura would amount to.

"I'm the Genin, I suppose."

...:::*:::...

By default, Sakura's Jōnin rank means she is the leader. Still, she chooses to let Sasuke take over and she travels at an even pace beside him, showing respect. They move quickly and efficiently, taking to the treetops so they can meet dawn head on. In proper conditions, it took two good days of traveling to get to Cha no Kuni. If Sasuke was alone it would be even less; He's much faster than Sakura is.

The man thinks back to his meeting with Kakashi. Though Sasuke had free-reign of Fire Country in his travels, he was not able to bypass borders without special permissions unless precise circumstances arose.

He had to have an escort.

With the mysterious chakra appearing beyond the northern border to Shimo no Kuni, the Land of Frost, Sasuke wanted Naruto's help in exploring the area. The ancient magic most likely belonged to the Otsutsuki clan. They could be planning something dire, and Sasuke wanted to put an end to anything before it started. Though he did not feel the kindest interrupting a newly wed couple, Naruto had obligations to the village that preceded personal affairs.

The two travel onward, speaking not a word even as minutes turn to hours.

It is almost afternoon when Sakura's stomach starts to growl. The sun was nearly at its highest point, sending blazing rays down to the crown of Sakura's head and the curves of her uncovered shoulders.

"I made us a bento."

Sasuke does not slow. "You seemed unaware that I would be your traveling partner."

Wincing, Sakura explains. "I meant that I'd made a bento for myself and the Genin I'd be traveling with. Would you like to stop at this clearing—"

"No," The man replies curtly. Then, thinking better of his shortness, he explains a little more. "There's water about a mile ahead."

Sakura nodded once and followed behind without hesitation. It did not take them long, either.

Though they were close to the border of Tea, where Fire Country's dense forest-like terrain gave way to rolling hills and valleys, the thickest part of the woods held what Sakura would call a treasure.

The lake was small and clean, providing sustenance to the towering trees that guarded it. There were a few signs of animal life—prints in the mud, parted tree branches. Ripples in the water suggested fish were coming to the surface for their lunch, too.

They ate in such silence, it was as if Sakura were alone. Still, a happy flutter danced around in her chest. She thought highly of him, impressed by his knowledge of the lands beyond. It was nice to be reunited with someone she considered a dear, old friend.

...:::*:::...

Night had fallen fast. The black sheet that draped across the sky was like a never-ending shadow, and when the moonlight could no longer guide them, they made a decision to stop and rest. Sasuke disappears into the woods; Sakura is busy with the bedding—a dusty routine.

Sasuke's mind drifts as he gathers dry foliage. He had not traveled this way in a long while—not since he'd roamed with Suigetsu, Jugo and Karin. All three had somewhat parted ways while Sasuke remained imprisoned. Last he'd heard, they all returned to Orochimaru to remain his subordinates. A letter from Karin explained that she was working for Konoha citizenship, "as a show of peace". Sasuke had never known her to care about peace, but she was free to make her own choices now that she could.

He tries to map out the last paths they'd traveled. It was much easier to move without worrying about who followed, though he enjoyed the knowledge Karin's tracking provided.

After filling up his canteens and gathering enough wood to start a fire, he walks back to the campsite and is mildly surprised to see a blaze already blooming. Sakura stands over it, tending to the flames, almost close enough for them to lick her palms.

"More kindling?" She asks.

He does not answer the observable, and instead drops the sticks into a pile nearby.

Sakura has grown accustomed to working unaided, it seems. She'd already flattened the area and spread out her bedroll. She sits atop her standard-issue blanket, watching the fire with mild interest.

The night air is cool—much too cool for the sleeveless shirt she wore. It was not long enough to cover her stomach, so there was a good six inches of fishnet before the waistband of her skirt. The sides were high-slit and covered a black pair shorts that stopped mid-thigh. It was really no wonder she sat so close to the flames.

"We can do a "four-on-four-off" shift." She says after a while, not noticing Sasuke's lingering gaze.

There's no real reason to have a lookout. Sasuke often slept through the night, albeit lightly, and they were far enough between villages that passersby would not stumble upon them unless they were lost.

Sasuke watches as Sakura clears her throat and runs her dainty hand across it. A memory quickly invades him. He sees his hand wrapped around Sakura's neck; hears his chidori flaring to life. A rush of air leaves his lungs in an instant.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asks, concerned by the unusual look that flashed across his face.

Sasuke takes a deep breath. Perhaps Sakura was not worried about passersby. She was a trained kunoichi and, although her smiles came easily and her voice showed concern, she was not the same young woman he'd studied in his youth.

They were strangers, and trust was a thinly woven thread. There was no reason for her to think that he wouldn't attack her in the night.

"I'll take the first watch."