Chapter Text
The first time Sasuke came back from his redemption journey, he encountered a problem. During his trial he had stayed in a jail cell and immediately after, been assigned to live with Naruto. This was so the fox keep an eye on him. Those months (or extended sleepovers, as Naruto called them) had been filled with ramen and a level of dirt undignified for a supposed world-saving hero. Luckily, Sasuke was nothing but adaptable. By the end, the apartment had been unrecognizable, with his friend on the healthiest diet anyone had seen him in years (he personally attributes this to the eventual relationship with Hinata). As soon as his one year confinement had ended, he’d run away, eager to finally make up for his mistakes.
Now, two years later Sasuke had been called back. Nothing serious, but the apparent lack of ANBU operatives – due to the death toll during the war and the prohibition on hiring children – there was a slight uptake on the needed experienced, many being near the outskirts of the land of fire itself. This wouldn’t be a problem except his best friend had recently gotten married, an event he’d missed, and wasn’t eager to crash the honeymoon faze. Especially if Kakashi’s complains from his letter on “gooey-eyed show off” were to be believed.
And so, this is how he found himself in front of his other teammate’s apartment, for the last three hours. Haven gotten the address from the hokage he’d been reassured that her shift was “almost over” and that “you’ll probably meet her on the way there.” Bullshit. Either Sakura had picked up on their sensei’s nasty habits or Kakashi was toying with him.
As Sasuke took a deep sigh, accepting the fact that he could easily afford an inn, there was a small gasp behind him.
There, with a bewildered look, was Sakura. Though her frame was still as short he remembered, her color pallet still pink, there was a maturity he hadn’t been seen there (or had he just not been looking?). Her hair was parted to the side and even while still wearing her medic robe, the evidence of her curves still flayed her form. The purplish hue under her eyes did nothing but brighten the green irises .
She was everything he remembered. Yet she was more.
“I didn’t know you were back. Did you arrive today?”
“ah.”
“Figured” she smiled absentmindedly “come on in, I’m making katsuden,” and without even questioning his intention, she motioned him in with the previously un noticed grocery bag.
From what he could tell, she lived in a two bedroom apartment, conjoined with an open living space and kitchen, to which the front door opened into. Being this his first time here, Sasuke was surprised how much he recognized. The picture of team 7 was plainly displayed on the wall on the entrance and a green sofa was decorated with pillows clearly from her childhood bedroom, embroidered with the leaf’s sigil. A shelf at the far end seemed stacked with scrolls that even from a distance he could tell were medic-nin related.
Yet it was more the concept of a home; having there were clear attempts by other people to make it a more pleasant space. There were dead flowers by the window, an un hanged ink painting by what he supposed was the bedroom, and he swore he could smell instant ramen coming from the cupboards. There was also a layer of dust coating most furniture. The kitchen and coffee table were spotless, but the floor and shelf had a thin layer visible even without his sharingan.
“Could you help me set the table?” he was broken out of his trance. Sasuke glanced behind him and saw Sakura pointing at a cabinet where he could access the dishes.
Soon they sat down together.
“Have your travels been good?”
“ah.”
“I imagine you’ve accomplished a lot.”
“ah.”
“What brought you back?”
Sasuke pondered his answer, having been forced to answer with more than one syllable. He looked up Sakura patiently waiting for an answer while she ate. There was this was on how she knew not to push him, never bring it too far. And he enjoyed that about her.
Not being sure of her access to the current problem he settled on a half-truth.
“Kakashi has some mission close to home he wants me to complete, insisted I come by to receive them”
To this Sakura visibly brighten,”does that mean you’ll stick around for a while?”
“I suppose so.”
“Naruto must be ecstatic! You missed his wedding; he’s going to force you to make up for that. And Kakashi will want to spend time with you. OH, and Captain Yamato! You know he still complains that you’re the only one who appreciated his traditional architecture style? Grumbles how everyone seems to prefer modern blocks”
As she rambled on, Sasuke couldn’t help but frown at how she deliberately left herself out. Almost as if her happiness was at the others opportunity and not her own.
“So where are you staying? I imagine you don’t plan to crash his newlywed bubble. Kakashi-sensei must have told you how cheesy they’ve gotten.”
“I was going to ask you if I could stay here.”
Silence. For the second time that evening Sakuras face showed blank shock. For such an emotional reaction, Sasuke couldn’t tell if it was a good or bad one.
“…I mean, if you’ll have me.”
“No, no, it’s fine!” Sakura snapped back ” I’m just surprised. I thought maybe you’d stay at an inn or finally open up what’s left of the Uchiha compound.”
Though his family home hadn’t been completely destroyed during Peins attack, most of the outer houses had been either damaged or donated to help in the reconstruction. Only the main house, his old home, remained untouched.
“No, I don’t think I’m ready, nor will I probably ever be. And as for the inn, I might be here for a while, so there’s no point in spending unnecessary funds.”
“Well,” Sakura paused, thinking “I do have an extra room. It’s mostly unused, but I have it for visiting friends, or when Ino has a fight with her parents and throws a week long tantrum.”
She grinned “But it’s mostly used by stubborn shinobi who refuse to use the hospital and decided I’m a personal medic. Both the current and future hokage use that room more than any enemy assassins should suspect, so it's stocked with all kinds of things.”
Suddenly, she clapped her hands “CHA! Its decided, you’ll be staying with me! You do the dishes while I go setup the room. No freeloaders, I expect you to pull your weight Uchiha.” And with that she sauntered into the room on the far right.
It took a few seconds for Sasuke to collect his thoughts. Maybe it was his tendency to overthink, but her reaction felt forced, like as if she was trying to play a character. His plan was to come back, do the missions, and leave without troubling anyone more than strictly necessary. Sakura was always welcoming and warm, but if his presence was going to result in problems for her……
Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.