"I'll see you when I'm back… and thank you." He'd said those words a year ago after lightly tapping her forehead where the diamond that symbolized her power and increased status. It was probably the first time he'd touched her voluntarily without trying to save her life… or take it. She shook her head at the last thought willing the darkness away from her mind.

"Lady Sakura. Is everything alright?" a soft feminine voice said from beside her, snapping the pink haired woman from her thoughts.

"Yes! Yes of course. Sorry I was just spacing out for a second." She replied running her fingers through her hair. "Was there something that you needed Mei?" she asked the young woman standing beside her desk.

The dark haired girl nodded. "Lord Kakashi has requested your presence in his office after your shift here ends." She replied.

Sakura nearly snorted at the girl for saying Lord in front of her Sensei's name. Though she had a healthy respect for the man, perhaps even more so than most of the citizens in the village, to her she would always be the old man obsessed with erotic fiction, and not letting any living soul see his face. She'd secretly hoped that being his doctor on occasion and having access to all of his medical files would allow her to see it at least once but she'd yet to see it to her great frustration.

"Alright then. Thanks for the message." The pink haired woman said as she focused her attention on the file in front of her. When the young woman didn't leave, she glanced up from her desk again.

"Umm… Lady Sakura." Mei said fidgeting nervously.

"Yes." The pink haired woman said softly.

"Your shift is over now." The girl replied gesturing to the clock with her slim hand.

Sakura blinked in surprise and glanced at the clock. Sure enough, it was 6:15 pm meaning her twelve hour shift had actually been over for fifteen minutes already.

"Oh. I guess you're right." The medic replied as she picked up her files and deposited them in the drawer of her desk and locked it. She stood up and walked over to where her jacket was hanging near the door and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. A little shudder went through her body as she took in her appearance. Her pink hair was in disarray from all of the hair pulling she'd done recently as she'd struggled with an epidemic of Mono sweeping through the village. Her cries for upped sanitation falling on deaf ears as it swept through the school system. Dark circles were visible under her eyes, testament of all the extra hours she'd put in over the past couple of days making house calls to those who were too sick to be treated in one visit but not sick enough to be admitted to the hospital. She groaned and quickly raked her fingers through her vibrant locks smoothing them somewhat as she adjusted the leaf headband in her hair. "Alright. Let's go see the masked idiot running this town." She muttered under her breath.

Mei gasped in surprise at the older girl's words as she led her though the halls of the hospital. "Lady Sakura, how can you talk about Lord Kakashi that way?" she asked.

Sakura shrugged. "I guess it's just a habit. Don't misunderstand, I know full well just how powerful he is, but to me he'll always be like a second father so that's how I treat him."

Mei nodded and her shoulders visibly relaxed as they left the hospital grounds and headed towards the large building where the current Hokage was deskbound. As they walked Sakura felt a brush of something hot and electric in her mind and turned her head towards the sensation. It felt so familiar yet vanished before she could lock on to it.

"Lady Sakura?" Mei said glancing at her curiously. "Is something wrong?"

"No. It's nothing." Sakura replied as she turned her head back to face the direction her feet were taking.

A pair of black eyes stared at the pink haired woman's back as she walked away. He silently cursed himself. He'd forgotten how in tune to his chakra she was and barely masked it in time and vanished into the crowd when she turned. However he wasn't exactly sure why he was hiding, let alone from her. He watched her closely and picked up the slight shuffle of her gait and how her hand came up frequently to touch her temple and rub her neck. The woman was exhausted and he could tell. Concerned for her well-being, he slowly followed the pair through the streets that were mostly clear due to the earliness of the hour. They were steps away from the Hokage's building when a voice sounded loudly in the quiet of the streets.

"Sakura!" A voice called out and the dark haired man's eyes narrowed as he realized he didn't recognize the man whom the voice belonged to. He watched from a distance as the young woman turned slightly at the call of her name and a young man likely in his early to mid-twenties descended the steps leading from the office building.

"Leo." Sakura said as she nodded in greeting to the man. "What are you doing here so early?" she asked.

"I'm here delivering a message from the Kazikage to the Hokage." The young man replied. He was tall, nearly seven feet tall with dark hair, blue eyes and a headband bearing the symbol of the village hidden in the sand on his forehead. "I was hoping to run into you." He said with a smile. "I know that I was just one of the thousands you saved on the battlefield, but I really am thankful to you."

Sakura blinked and her lips turned up slightly a little dusting of pink appearing on her cheeks. "You really don't have to thank me." She replied her voice shaking a little. "I was just doing my duty."

The young man nodded. "I know that, but I'll still continue to thank you every time I see you."

The young medic nodded. "Suit yourself then."

The young man studied her for a moment. "Are you ok, Sakura?" he asked.

Sakura tilted her head a little seemingly confused by his question. "Last I checked." She replied. "Why?"

"You just look a little… dull." He finally said settling on the right word. "Like the life is being sucked out of you."

The dark eyed observer's brow furrowed slightly. This man had noticed as well?

Sakura blinked and then shrugged. "I work a lot." She explained. "Maybe it's finally catching up to me."

Leo nodded and then his blue eyes lit up. "I know! Why don't you come with me to the village hidden in the sand?" he suggested. "You could visit Lady Chiyo's grave and I'm sure that Lord Gaara would be more than happy to see you again. He's so grateful to you for saving his brother's life."

Sauske Uchiha's eyes widened at that. He knew that things had changed but he never imagined that the pink haired girl and the red head sand wielder would ever be on good terms.

Sakura smiled and a little moisture came to her eye which intrigued him before she answered. "Thanks for worrying about me Leo. I'll think about it. Right now I need to go see the Hokage." She replied.

"Alright." The young man replied. "Do you want me to wait for you? I can take you out to breakfast when you finish." he asked. The dark eyed observer's hands balled into fists as the tall man asked the pink haired medic on a date.

"No. I'll be fine. I'm just going to go home and go to bed after this. I'm exhausted. Maybe another time." She said before nodding to Mei who led the way inside the building.

Leo watched them go and then sighed. "Damn! Why won't she let me take care of her?" he muttered.

"She can take care of herself." The dark eyed man said softly as he walked towards the large central building startling the tall man. His eyes widened for a moment and then narrowed.

"You're Sauske Uchiha." Leo said quietly.

The dark eyed man said nothing as he stood dressed in black before the blue eyed man.

Leo grit his teeth at the silence before speaking again. "You're the reason aren't you?" he snorted as he looked the man up and down. "She's wasted on you." He said his voice laced with venom.

Sauske's brow rose at his comment before a smirk crossed his lips. "Jealousy doesn't look good on you Leo of the sand."

Leo snorted. "It doesn't look much better on you, Sauske Uchiha." He replied before the tall man vanished with a light pop and a puff of smoke.

Sauske blinked and then glanced up at the windows to the office where Sakura was likely headed. Was he jealous? Perhaps. It had been a year since he'd left promising her to come back. It was different from when he left before. He was no longer a broken boy trapped in the self-destructive cycle of vengeance. Nor was he the selfish teenager desperate for power. During those times, his thoughts had drifted to her, more often then he'd ever dared to admit and an immediate sense of annoyance would follow as he quickly banished the thoughts cursing her for being annoying even while apart. Now, he was a young man on the road to redemption. A man desperate to repair all of the damage he had caused over the years and see the world with new eyes no longer clouded by hatred. With his new purpose came a new way of thinking and now when his thoughts drifted to the pink haired medic, he allowed them to linger, encouraged them to even. He'd often wondered how she was, what she was doing. He didn't really worry for her safety for she was no longer the fainthearted girl from their childhood, she was a strong, capable woman who was known far and wide for both her amazing healing abilities and her monstrous strength. There was also the blonde, whiskered idiot here to look after her. No, his thoughts were often caught in a different cycle, one where he wondered why she still loved him after all he'd done to her. One where he wondered how he could make her happy when he didn't think he deserved to be happy himself.

Shaking his head a little to refocus, he glanced up at the windows again and sensed that the pink haired woman had reached her destination. Deciding now was as good a time as any since he also needed to report in to the Hokage anyway, he leapt into the air and landed lithely on the sill of the window with his back to the wall careful not to reveal his position. He watched the masked, silver haired Hokage as he spoke and smirked. Piles of paperwork surrounded him and he looked rather ruffled. Paperwork was never really his strong suit so it didn't surprise the Uchiha in the slightest. His attention then turned to the pink haired young woman standing across the desk and his brow furrowed slightly, the corners of his lips tugging into a frown. Now that he was closer, he could see just how worn out she really was. The dark circles under her eyes, the rumpled state of her hair, the way her shoulders rolled slightly forward as though they ached and were heavy. She turned away her focus shifting to the young woman standing beside her and he decided that now was good enough to reveal himself. In the blink of an eye, he entered the room standing near the Hokage's desk. The silver haired man merely glanced at him and he knew that his old sensei had known from the start that he was there. However, the pink haired woman didn't.

He watched as her head turned towards him and her eyes widened. Surprise, and relief quickly flitted across her face before her lips parted and she spoke his name softly as if speaking a prayer. "Sauske."

His stoic mask hid a waterfall of emotions as he stood there. He'd never admit it to a living soul but he felt a little thrill at the way she reacted to him. His hyper sensitive eyes and ears picked up on everything. How the pulse point at her neck jumped, the sharp intake of breath, the tiny beads of sweat that formed on her brow. It gave him great satisfaction to know that she reacted this way to him and him alone. He watched her war with herself as part of her body shifted towards him and then froze as if she was confused as to whether she should approach him or not. Deciding he'd make it easier for her for once, he strode towards her and reached out with his good hand. He tapped her lightly on the forehead the greatest expression of his feelings for her that he could muster.

"Sakura, I'm back." He said softly.

She blinked and he nearly smirked when he saw pink blush feather across her cheeks at the touch.

"Welcome back." She replied softly her emerald eyes meeting his. He felt something warm spread through his body as he held her gaze, saw the warmth in her eyes that he knew he didn't deserve but appreciated all the same.

"Indeed. Welcome back Sauske." Kakashi said interrupting the intimate moment. "I trust your travels went well?"

Sauske nodded as he turned to face the masked man. "The war had very deep effects, particularly in some of the smaller villages but they're slowly making progress."

Kakashi nodded. "Very well. I'll need a report on your observations as soon as possible."

The dark haired man nodded. "Of course, but will you actually read it?" he asked glancing at the mountain of paperwork on the Hokage's desk.

"Good question." Sakura said from beside him. "I don't even he's read the report I sent him last week informing him I'd found the culprit behind the sickness spreading through the teens and young adults here."

The silver haired man sighed, shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "I remember when you two were young, and innocent and had no doubts at all about my greatness."

The door burst open and a young man with blonde hair bounded in. "Yeah that was back before we learned what you're really like." He said grinning from ear to ear.

Sauske coughed as the blonde bounded forward and enveloped him in a bear hug so tight it nearly cracked his ribs.

"Sauske! You're back!" he exclaimed.

"Naruto, let me go before I destroy you." He threatened.

The blonde chuckled and released him before tousling his dark hair with his hand. "Oh lighten up!"

"I'll light you up." Sauske replied darkly.

"Ah. This takes me back." Kakashi said with a contented sigh, "Anyway, I'm sure you're exhausted Sauske and exhausted doesn't even begin to touch how Sakura is probably feeling."

"Oh no. I'm fine." The pink haired girl said lifting her hands. "Really."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? How much overtime did you work this past week?" he asked.

Sakura's eyes widened and then she glanced away. "Maybe like, ten… hours…." She muttered.

"Is that including the time spent in the library and laboratory after hours?" he asked.

She sighed her shoulders slumping forward. "Darn it! Who snitched on me?" she muttered.

Naruto chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head earning himself a death glare from the pink haired girl. "What?" he asked. "I'm just worried about you. That's all."

Kakashi sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Seriously? I'm used to telling those two idiots to stop so they don't kill themselves but I'm not used to having this conversation with you."

"I know. I'm sorry." She replied sheepishly.

"I know that too. Just try not to push yourself so hard ok?" he said gently. "Now go home and get some sleep, in fact, take the next few days off alright?"

The pink haired girl opened her mouth to protest but immediately shut it when she saw the look in her old Sensei's eyes.

"Yes sir." She muttered.

"Yes!" Naruto exclaimed hooking his arms around his friend's necks. "That means the three of us can hang out together just like old times! It's going to be awesome!"

Sauske sighed. He really was tired after all of his traveling and being around his blonde best friend was undeniably draining.

"No being awesome until after I get some sleep." Sakura muttered.

"You and Sauske go get some sleep and then we'll meet up for a late lunch around two this afternoon ok?" Naruto said his smile wide. "Ramen is on me!"

"Cool. Sounds good." Sakura said giving her friend a weak thumbs up. "If there's nothing else, would it be alright if I called it a day, or night…" she raked her fingers through her hair. "Whatever time of day it is, these graveyard shifts are throwing me off so much."

Kakashi chuckled. "Of course. See you guys later."

Sakura nodded. "Thanks Kakashi, see you Naruto," she said waving, she turned away and Sauske saw her eyes linger on him for a moment. "Sauske." She said softly as she approached the door.

Sauske watched her for a moment seeing how her gait wavered a little and then sighed. "I'll see her home." He said simply before he followed after her.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked him as he came up beside her adjusting his stride to hers.

"I'm just going to walk you home." He said as they walked down the stairs and out the front doors into the cool morning air.

"Why?" she asked as they navigated the streets that were just starting to stir.

He shrugged. "No reason." He replied as they approached a newer looking apartment building. He followed her inside and up to the third floor where they stopped at one of the doors.

"Well this is it." She said tucking her hair behind her ear nervously before she pulled out her key and inserted it into the lock. She turned the knob and pushed the door open. Her movements stopped for a moment and he watched her curiously.

"Do you have a place to stay?" she asked suddenly.

He blinked in surprise at the question. As he thought about it, he realized that he didn't. Though he knew the house he grew up in was still intact, he wasn't ready to go back. Staying with Naruto was a health hazard in more ways than one too.

"Hm. I guess not." He admitted.

"You could stay here." She said softly her face turning red all the way to the tips of her ears. He fought hard to hide a smirk at her nervousness. "I mean, I have an extra futon you could lay out in the living room if you wanted to. I got it because sometimes my parents stop by and Ino comes over a lot to whine about Sai…"

Part of his mind wanted to refuse. It was an intrusion of her privacy and it would only make the list of debts he owed to her bigger. There was still a large part of him that was desperate to keep his distance from her because of all the pain he'd put her through. The larger part of him however, was eager to accept her invitation. The part of him that was tired of the darkness and desperate for the light and warmth that her presence provided. His tired body also agreed with that side of him and he slowly nodded. "I'd really appreciate that." He said as he crossed the threshold of her apartment.

He was satisfied with what he saw there. It was decorated simply with little accents of the cherry blossoms of her namesake here and there. A large book shelf covered most of the wall and there was two doors. Sakura approached the first door and pushed it open revealing a western style bed, night stand and desk. She knelt down beside the bed and tugged something out from underneath it. The motion rocked the bedside table and she cursed as something tumbled from it clattering onto the floor.

"I'll get it." Sauske said moving into the room. He picked up the fallen frame and blinked in surprise as he looked at the picture within the frame. It was an old photograph surrounded by a wooden frame. The paint on the frame was worn on the side evidence that it had been handled frequently. He also noticed a few cracks filled with clear glue meaning that it had been repaired at least once. Inside the frame was a picture of four people. On the far right was a young Naruto with his arms crossed glaring at a person across the frame. In the middle was Sakura her eyes squeezed shut as she smiled broadly her hands framing her own face. In the far left was himself, glaring at the camera with his hands in his pockets wearing the blue and white clothes he favored in his youth and above all of them his one visible eye closed as he grinned behind his mask was Kakashi. He lifted the frame and placed it back on the bedside table before he glanced down at the strong young woman who had once been the giggling girl pictured.

She answered the question he didn't need to verbalize. "It kept me going." She said softly. "That picture listened to me, watched me cry," she lowered her head. "the poor thing even took a beating a couple of times." She glanced up at him and smiled. "Maybe we can take another one to replace it?"

He glanced at the picture again. She'd never given up on him in all the years he spent nursing the darkness in his heart. A picture of the four of them together was more than a reasonable request. He simply nodded in agreement. Without any other warning, she sprung up from the floor and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Thank you so much!" she exclaimed.

He blinked in surprise and struggled to stay balanced as his heart pounded in his chest and his breathing hitched in his throat. It was a new feeling to him. Her closeness had never affected him like this before. He warred with himself as his hands twitched at his sides. Part of him wanted to return her embrace while the other part wanted to push her away in order to get his body back under control. She didn't give him time to decide and pulled away quickly.

"Sorry." She muttered as she bent over and lifted the futon. "I get touchy feeling when I'm tired." She admitted before holding the bedding out to him. "I'd set it up for you but I'm exhausted. The bathroom is behind the door at the end of the hall and feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen if you get hungry."

He blinked in surprise and took the bundle from her. Their fingertips brushed as the bedding changed hands and he felt what seemed like electricity on his skin for a brief moment. Glancing up he saw her cheeks color again and wondered if she felt the same. He was half temped to ask but a wave of exhaustion hit him like a tidal wave and he decided against it.

He moved towards the door and then stopped just before crossing the threshold. He turned back to look at the pink haired girl just as a gust of wind slipped in through the partially open window tossing her hair into the air. In that moment he nearly lost his breath, her hair dancing like cherry petals around her face, the indigo diamond that was proof of her strength and power, her emerald eyes that shone with passion he'd never appreciated until he'd begun to shake the darkness of his own soul. The desire to touch her nearly drove him mad but he resisted instead choosing to touch her with his words.

"Sakura," he said softly. He waited for her eyes to meet his before he continued. "Thank you."

The warm smile that touched her lips was all the proof he needed that she understood the deeper meaning behind them and he was satisfied for the moment. He left the room closing the door behind him and laid the bedding out in her living room. He shed his cloak hanging it next to her jacket near the door and then made his way to the futon. Laying down, he finally allowed his body to relax wincing a little as his aches and pains began to throb. His new arm in particular bothered him but Lady Tusnade had told him that it would for a long time, potentially the rest of his life even. He lifted the bandaged limb and sighed. It was a small price to pay in the long run he'd decided. According to fate, he should've died there locked in battle with the one person in this world that had the power and the desire to bring him home. Instead, they'd both survived giving him the chance to finally break the vicious cycle of hatred and destruction. He glanced at the wall separating him from Sakura and then closed his eyes as he focused on her presence nodding in approval as he sensed her slowed breathing and her chakra level beginning to rise. He then felt his own breathing slow and even out and was amazed at how quickly it was happening. He turned on his side to face the wall and took a deep breath feeling warmth spread through him again as he was enveloped in Sakura's scent. A thought entered his mind spoken in the voice of his blonde haired, blue eyed, idiot. "Wherever someone's still thinking about you, that's your home." He smirked as sleep began to claim him. He quite agreed with the idiot's reasoning which meant that for the moment he was home and glad to be.