Author's note:

Hello all you Sasuke Sakura fans!

Long time fan of the show, long time shipper of the Sasusaku pairing finally got around to write a fic featuring the troubled couple.

Before I begin, I must say there are some spoliers that coincide with the current manga chapters. So if you are not up to date, and don't know the outcome of the Uchiha brother's fight, turn back now!

This fic takes place after the end of the battle, and there are a few changes from the manga so that my crack dream can work nicely. Hurray for fluff! There needs to be more sasusaku fluff in the manga... a girl can dream, right?

So it goes without saying I don't own the characters or anything with the Manga/anime Naruto. I also have to say that I was inspired to write this fic after reading a doujinshi "十七夜"　by 望戸為. God I love living in Japan- easy access to great stories that bring on the plot bunnies!

That is enough of an author's note for now. Please enjoy the fic!

It felt strange walking among the still, silent and empty buildings. How he had done this before and not felt so much amazed him. It was like being in a dream. He had never thought he would be back… much less alive. But there he was, walking through the streets of his home town… the same place that his long and painful journey had begun all those years ago. It almost felt like another life time, one where he was an innocent boy just wanting acceptance and praise from his two male mentors in his life. And then it all changed. His father and his mother had been taken from him by his brother. Within the span of walking home from school, his world had changed.

After long years of training and refusing to live, he found himself at another life changing moment. Even now it hurt to remember the events leading up to what he had only dreamed of for so many years… so many painful and lonely years.

The fight between two of the strongest nins the Konoha village had produced in a long time had gone on for hours. The upper hand had been dealt back and forth until his brother- the person who he once wanted to learn from and the reason for the decimation of the clan- drew his last breath. The last words from his brother were unrecognizable because he was in such a state of shock himself...

He did remember the blood dripping into his eyes… that was his own, but his hands and body were covered with a mix of the two Uchiha brothers. Looking at the blood and his brother's still body on the rocks, his legs and mind gave out.

The next thing he knew he was waking up to a feeling he had never forgotten… the warmth was something he would try to remember on nights were he wanted nothing but to curl up and die.

Consciousness did not stay with him for long... just like the memories of the act of killing his enemy, his return, and the following weeks of recovery. It all was a haze.

In the end the last living survivor of the Uchiha clan massacre was nursed back to health and somehow his crimes as a missing nin and criminal once tied to Ochimaru were nearly dismissed.

There were consequences of his actions after leaving the village. He would have to prove himself to many, and deal with the whispers and isolation that he had brought on himself. As far as official punishments for his choices, he was to be monitored for a time, unable to sit on the council as the Uchiha clan leader for a year, not made team leader on the select missions he was assigned to until deemed trust worthy. He could live with those things however not being able to leave the village with out permission and an escort, on top of some of his more dangerous and volatile powers being securely placed behind a seal created by the Hokage and other powerful leaders in the village, seemed to be the bigger nuisances.

His brother's group and the remnants of the Ochimaru team were still out there… not to mention the one person that had caused the Hokage much trouble, the being known as Tobi, or Madara Uchiha. His true intentions were still unclear; he had begun the Uchiha clan, then helped destroy it, and then watched as two of its last members fought to the death… it was still a mystery. But no matter the cause Sasuke was greatly involved with all three. Some were looking for revenge while the others might look to recruit a new leader out of the man. The village elders wanted to make sure he did not get involved with any of the groups.

As much as he hated the feeling of others watching him, Uchiha Sasuke knew he was lucky to be alive… and allowed back into his home after all he had done.

In the seven months time he had been back, many things had happened and yet it felt as if nothing ever did. He had taken several weeks to recover, much of that was a credit to the skillful healers in the village. Sasuke did not remember much of that time. But he knew she was there making sure he was given the best care and holding his hand from time to time. Afterwards he was left to return to his home and go before pretty much everyone and deal with the hurt and betrayal he had caused.

Keeping busy was key after that. Taking on as many missions as possible and slowly building up the trust again was a way to avoid being bogged down with the emotions and the void that had appeared in his life.

The home of his father and generations before did not seem to be his… it stung even more to think that those who wished to slaughter his family… their family had lived and helped build these very walls. Sasuke shook that thought out of his head often. If he dwelled on it for long, he knew he would become angry and contemplate destroying the entire Uchiha area. But even if he did, the land and the memories would not be cleansed.

The Uchiha complex was silent as Sasuke slowly wandered the streets on his solitary patrol. He had once run through these very streets as a naive child, brooded as a troubled teen, and now he walked aimlessly. It was the first time in his life that he could not find a purpose. He simply did not know what direction to take now…

He no longer lusted for power or was driven to avenge his clan, although the knowledge of Madara's existence did bother him… the fuel that had fed the fire inside of him had been exhausted to a degree. Leaving him more cold and confused inside… capable of feeling nothing but cold… wanting to do nothing but wander… he no longer cared about anything and it scared him.

The sun's rays were unforgiving as they rained into his room and over his face. It was early, he could tell without even opening his eyes. The day's training schedule would not take long and he wondered what else the Hokage would assign for him to do. Anything would be better than having him spend the day in the empty walls of his home.

Getting up from his bed he sauntered over to the window and looked out. The sun was painting the morning sky in a variety of red hues, it would have moved many people to see such a sight, but to Sasuke it was just another sunrise. Scratching his bare chest he stretched and readjusted his sagging boxers. He was losing weight due to his constant working and never eating at home. Did he even have food in his refrigerator? He didn't know.

It bothered him a little to feel this way. He was supposed to feel better once his revenge was satisfied, but then again was his mission really complete? Things had not worked out the way he had imagined and he was at a loss on how to fix it.

Turning away from the sunrise, he picked up his uniform from the chair where he had draped it the night before. Putting on the dark shirt and pants he sighed as he looked at the head guard that had been waiting for him all those years he was gone. At times he wondered why they had allowed him to live after all that he had done. He asked the Hokage that very question and she had not answered him directly. Her only response echoed in his mind… "That would be too easy."

Yeah it would have been… and it would have saved him a lot of trouble; but things we not all bad. Well, that is what he tried to tell himself. It did feel good to accomplish things and the strain of his muscles after doing a hard days work also was a good feeling. But still his life felt empty.

Putting on the head guard and his green jacket, Uchiha Sasuke once again decided to take his punishments and see things through… one day at a time.

"Did you really master the Sharingan when you were that young?" The young ninja in training asked in a voice that annoyed him greatly. "And the Uchiha fire technique? Will you show it to me?" For the last twenty minutes while in transit to their mission's location, one of the three genins on his team had been constantly bothering him.

Sasuke was thankful for the silence that came once they got into enemy territory. Their movements from tree to tree were swift, at least the kids could do that much. He had mixed feelings towards this mission, and it had a lot to do with the three genins that seemed to go wide-eyed at his very presence. However the assignment was a welcome break from the walls of Konoha. He and the new nins were under the leadership of Shikamaru. Even with that signature lazy attitude of his, he had made it up the ladder to a respectable leader. Still it seemed strange to be under someone he had been classmates with...

On paper it was a simple mission, however with students things tended to get complicated fast. The basis of the job was to do a little reconnaissance, recapture a scroll that had been stolen from the village and return home. Shikamaru and he could have done this by themselves easily. But the village needed new well trained ninjas in its ranks, so training missions were quite frequent now. However the new graduates seemed to have missed the chapter on stealth jitsus.

A small misstep while trying to concentrate on a jitsu sent one of the genins falling from their location. The blunder started a mess of flying stars and close range combat. Moving in quickly Sasuke proved once again why he was such a talented and skilled member of the Konoha village even with his rocky past.

Returning home with the scroll in tact, and all the members of the team alive was received with great praise. Especially when Shikamaru reported it was Sasuke that saved the day and the team. Maybe he would be back as a full member of the village sooner than he thought.

The next day Sasuke was heading once again towards the Hokage's office for what he hoped to be a less annoying assignment. As he walked down the streets towards the center of town, it was interesting to see the reactions from people. The majority of the younger students and children dreaming of being warriors looked up to him with awe from the rumors and the accounts they had heard of his past, even before leaving the village with Orochimaru. He had always been something of a celebrity being a child of the Uchiha, survivor of the massacre and one of the greatest students the academy had. But this was a different level of awe.

Assuming that it had a lot to do with defeating Ocrohimaru and his brother, Sasuke tried to avoid the younger villagers as often as possible. Similar to the reactions of the girls during his academy years, the younger generation of female students and staff seemed to not really care of his past. They would swoon and scream if he so much as walked by… it was still rather annoying.

Then you had the older generation, and his former classmates. The ones that had witnessed his actions and betrayal firsthand… they were the ones who risked their lives to come and get him… had to deal with the failures of their missions because he was simply too stupid and stubborn to listen to them… they were the ones that were still weary of opening up to him again.

Granted some were more open than others. There was still a lot of work to be done. Kakashi would be his normal self when he was in public, but he could tell his former teacher had been hurt by his departure. Not to mention his teammates. Naruto, whom he had hurt both emotionally and physically a great deal, seemed to want to welcome him back. Several ramen noodle shop stops had gotten the blond to talk to Sasuke like old times. Granted it would take a long time before he regained his brother status with the other orphan, but their relationship was on its way. However it appeared to be another story when it came to the last member of his team.

Sakura… she had always been there helping him... even now she had sat with him, doing small things to help him feel better. Naruto told him how she would go into the Uchiha complex to clean from time to time, and she was the one who had been the most loyal and most adamant for allowing him back into the village. It was no secret of her feelings towards the dark haired Uchiha boy, but something seemed different now.

After he had been released he started seeing her less and less… and that is what seemed to perplex him the most from all the changes he had come to deal with… She had been avoiding him. In the end, after the way he had treated her, it only seemed right that she finally figured out what a worthless person he was...

But he had hoped…

Sighing, Sasuke decided to forget it. There was only so much a heart could take, and he had done nothing to show her he cared. How could he show her how he felt when he was too stuck up with his mission of hate? He had only realized it was her warmth, her friendship, her unconditional love that had kept him from truly going over the edge. He had done horrible things, but he had never gone the extra few steps that would make her hate him completely. He had never killed unless it was necessary. And even then, it was done quickly if possible.

He didn't want her to hate him… she already must have been hurting with his departure, and she must have also been equally disappointed with him once his actions were disclosed, but he had hoped to be given another chance.

However their awkward moments together or her hasty departures from his presence over the last several months told him it was not to be.

Walking a little bit faster he did not want to think about that anymore. He needed a new mission to get his mind off… her. Climbing the stairs he turned quickly trying to get to the office faster he was totally unaware of his surroundings.

"Sasuke-kun?" Her voice stopped him in his tracks, it was almost as if her voice was haunting him. He thought it was a dream. Looking up from his feet, he saw her standing there before the double doors leading to the Hokage's office. His dark eyes wanted to look in her eyes, but something stopped him. It was almost as if looking at her eyes would cement the feelings of disgust he assumed she held for him.

"Sa..sakura." He allowed her name to spill from his lips.

"It's been a while… how are you?" She sounded a little nervous, but her voice was still the same sweet melodious one that he remembered when he was at his darkest. It was her voice that brought him back from the curse so many times… it gave him courage and he looked up at her deep eyes, those green orbs seemed to give him courage..

"Yeah, it has been a while. I'm doing…" He sighed and looked away for a brief second. "Things are ok." Smiling a little when he looked into her eyes again. He could not help but feel the warmth she gave off, even when he was so far away he could still feel that warmth from his memories of her. Smiling like he was, it was such an out of character act for him, but he was happy to get a reaction from her. Her eyes sparkled a bit and she smiled back. That was the Sakura had he wanted to see.

"You?" He added not wanting her to walk away from him just yet.

"Really busy… I've been away for two months studying medicines and techniques." She smiled and unconsciously pulled the clipboard closer to her chest. Having him there so close to her once again made her heart flutter. There was no denying that no matter the time that they had been apart, no matter how little he showed her his feelings, or how blind he was to throw his life away on revenge, her feelings for him had only grown. And now he was back…

Sakura was not the same girl that he had left unconscious in the park all those years ago. A broken heart had made her leery of opening up again. Maybe that was why she had refused the many chunins and others that had shown interest in that time. Maybe she was secretly holding out against the odds, knowing he would return... No matter, she was not going to fawn over him like when they were genins. She needed to be sure he would not leave her like last time. But there was no mistaking the feelings he arose in her.

Hearing her say that she had indeed been busy and not avoiding him made him feel a lot better. It was a rare occurrence that his stomach felt this way… especially since he had returned.

Averting his eyes to keep from blushing like an idiot, he noticed for the first time how different Sakura looked. His eyes quickly traveled the length of her body, her usual pink outfit had matured over the years, and the woman in her had blossomed. The tight fitting pink hued tunic molded to her curves. The length went down to above her knees and the sides were slit up towards her hips. Underneath the tunic a pair of dark colored leggings grew lighter as they went down to her legs. Her chest was hidden behind the clipboard, but he could tell that her curves were there.

His eyes snapped back to her face and he could see her blush faintly. That too gave him hope.

"I missed you."

They both said at the same time, causing both of them to laugh a little with embarrassment.

"Really?" She asked trying to make eye contact with him. He seemed different. If she had realized he would change this much, she would have thought twice about taking up that special training after he was discharged.

But before he could respond the double doors separating them from the Hokage's office swung open. Sasuke quickly put his arm out and stopped it before it hit Sakura, in a way pinning her to the wall.

"Oh, so you are here." Came the familiar voice of their former teacher. Kakashi and his ever present manga poked out from behind the doors. "Oh and Sakura is here too."

"Kakashi-sempai." Sakura smiled, blushing more because Sasuke had yet to pull away from her.

"Sorry, but I have to borrow him for a moment." Kakashi was smirking from behind the mask, the two knew it. "This situation looks rather familiar... oh yes…" He pulled up his book and nodded.

Sasuke pushed away from Sakura at the implication it was anything more than protecting her from the door.

"Can we talk… um later?" He asked her before turning to walk into the office for whatever the two had planned for him.

"Sure." She managed to squeak out, not wanting to act like the inner Sakura at the moment. Inside the calm and composed girl was a grinning, fist pumping sparkly eyed Sakura.

And then the two men were gone behind the door leaving her alone in the hallway to wonder what they were going to discuss. Not that it really mattered; she was still on cloud nine. She had hoped this day would come. There was something there between them since their academy years. However, there was something inside Sakura that made her weary of blindly jumping right back in.

'Take things slow... remember your head...' She told herself as began to wander away from the door. Tsunade could wait, she had to tell Ino!

Sasuke composed himself quickly and silently followed Kakashi into the large room. Behind the desk Sasuke could see the back of the Hokage's chair. He knew that once the chair turned around, he could come face to face with the leader of the village; the woman who had saved his life as a teenager, and the leader who had spared his life and given him a second chance.

She was a fair leader; her outward appearance did not seem to be fitting for such a high caliber of a leader, but there was no denying that she was the best choice to lead the village during this difficult time.

However, he had little idea as to why she wanted to see him. Usually he received his orders from one of the many subordinates, but not today. Racking his brain, there was nothing he could think of that he had done wrong. He had followed her directives to the letter.

"Good, you are both here." The voice of Tsunade seemed to be a little quieter than the last time they had spoken; something that caused him to not be able tell if she was happy or angry.

Slowly the chair swiveled and Sasuke was left with his mouth open. The blond haired large chested woman that sat before him held a tiny bundle in her arms.

"I never knew you had a child." Sasuke could not help but say out loud. The smile on her face told him that it was not her child.

"I don't… but you do now."

A/n: Lovely... the fic was going so well... an awkward moment between our couple and now a baby. But are things that simple? It can't be Sasuke's, right? If not then whose baby is Sasuke getting to babysit?

Never fear this is not going to be your average Sasuke gets a baby fic!

Comments, reviews, randomness are all welcome. I hope to hear from you soon!