Standard disclaimer applies.

Uchiha Sasuke wakes up to the muted beeps of a heartbeat monitor and a world of pain.

The first grunt of discomfort barely escapes him before he feels cool healing chakra pool on his gaping chest wound. Sasuke struggles to open his eyes and he struggles to breathe, but his body simply refuses to cooperate. Pain explodes – in his head, his chest, his legs, everywhere. Unable to help it, Sasuke gasps. In a blurry moment of weakness, he lets his face twist into a tight grimace. One arm comes up, unheeding of the tubes lodged in the back of his hand, and he tries to push himself up.

Someone catches his wrist in a firm but gentle grip and forces his arm back down. "Easy," murmurs a soft female voice. The healing chakra never wavers.

He tenses, before slowly forcing himself to relax. He knows that voice.

It takes a few more tries before he manages to open his eyes. The strong glare from a naked light bulb, inconsiderately placed right above his head, makes his eyes sting. He ignores the discomfort in favor of assessing his surroundings for immediate threats. He is in a medical tent, he realizes. In the distance, he hears people barking orders. There is movement from outside the tent.

The war is over, Sasuke thinks. Relief seeps softly into his bones.

His wary gaze settles on the pink-haired young woman standing before him. She is not a threat, he knows, which is why he has ignored her initially. She is not looking at him now. Glowing green chakra coats her palms as she holds them just above his bare chest. Her expression is closed.

"Sakura," he rasps. Her name clings to his tongue, heavy and regretful and soft. He does not bother asking about the outcome of the war – it is clear that they have won. Amidst the red haze of pain and cold sweat, he manages another word: "Naruto?"

She says nothing, but he catches the relief that flits across her features as she glances briefly at him. That is enough for Sasuke, so he lets his eyes clench shut. Sakura's gaze turns clinical as she observes the raw skin knitting together under her palms. The pain slowly subsides; Sasuke feels a bone-deep exhaustion and lightheadedness taking its place. Disoriented, he opens his eyes again. For a few moments, he watches Sakura heal him in silence.

Eventually Sakura pulls away, running an assessing gaze over his prone form. Sasuke almost misses the trickle of her soothing chakra – now there is nothing to distract him from the burn of his wounds. Sakura moves soundlessly to the end of the bed, where she proceeds to jot something down on a stack of forms held by a clipboard. She eyes him briefly when she is done. Already, he can feel darkness creeping in at the corners of his vision.

Sakura regards him. There is dirt and blood streaked across her face, and purpling bruises scattered around her pale arms and neck. She smiles at last, and Sasuke closes his eyes in response. There is something terrible and bland and colorless about that smile.

"Welcome back, Sasuke-kun," she says neutrally. Her voice is flute-like. It tickles against the edges of his consciousness before it softly slips away.

The Long Road Home

Chapter 1

(the smell of fresh paint)

"Hey teme." Naruto's grin is glorious. It is nearly as bright as the sun that blazed down above them this afternoon.

Sasuke does not bother opening his eyes. He does, however, incline his head slightly in acknowledgement.

"How's that hole in your chest?" Naruto continues conversationally. The blonde drops down on the grass beside him with a happy sigh. Still, Sasuke says nothing. With his eyes closed and his chakra sealed off, he can feel the muted flickering presence of six ANBU guards hidden in the surroundings. Sasuke ignores them all. He is used to their presence by now.

Instead, he takes a slow, deep breath. It is a lazy Saturday morning. They are away from prying eyes for now, deep within the private gardens of Konoha General Hospital – one of the first places to be rebuilt after the war. Summer hangs thick and heavy in the air. While Sasuke will never admit it, he has missed the warm lush summers of his childhood.

The smell of fresh paint lingers in the air. It is a subtle reminder of the construction works going on in the west wing; some parts of the hospital are still being rebuilt. Beside him, Naruto begins babbling away about Konoha's current state of reconstruction. There are large splotches of white paint across that orange monstrosity of an outfit he is wearing today – perhaps that explains the smell of paint – and he tells Sasuke excitedly about how he spent his morning painting the Academy. In truth, Sasuke does not care either way. But it is a good day, so he is content to let Naruto be.

It has been three months since his return to Konoha. It was – is still – not an easy decision. His hatred of Konoha ran deep, and it has been far too long since he has settled in one place. On some days he feels like he is physically choking from the demons of his youth and it is all he can do not to lose himself to an unspeakable madness that threatens to claw out his insides. Yet, sometime during his precarious balance between life and death at the end of the war, Sasuke makes a promise to himself. He will bleed the evil from Konoha's depths and watch her change.

So Sasuke swallows his rage and he swallows his madness. He tries his best to push his demons away.

Naruto helps. Naruto burns bright and steadfast; a much-needed anchor in this rough sea. He is the brother who had never left his side, and Sasuke knows he would have been lost a long time ago if it were not for Naruto's unwavering faith.

Tsunade helps too. Tsunade is harsh – almost cruel sometimes – but she is fair and immensely skilled. Tsunade prescribes him sleeping pills and painkillers and anti-depressants with a sort of cool efficiency that promises no judgments. She glares at him a lot and her wrath is a fearsome thing, but Sasuke's sharp eyes sees the compassion that lurks just behind the steely glint of her eyes.

She wants to heal his mind, she says. Sasuke demurs. He is not quite ready for that yet.

Konoha has him arrested and placed under heavy guard in the hospital. His Sharingan and chakra pathways are to be sealed for six months at least – which is ridiculously bothersome, since that means that it will take him a much longer time to heal from his war injuries. In the meantime, they send him for batteries of physical and mental tests.

Konoha also subjects him to regular rounds of intense interrogation. Sasuke offers minimal resistance – he can't care less about the information they want, to be honest. He meets Yamanaka Ino in the depths of the interrogation chambers, alongside Morino Ibiki. He remembers the Ino of his childhood to be impossibly obnoxious and terrifyingly loud. But when he encounters her during one of these rounds, she is all cool professionalism and ruthless skill.

Once he is deemed fit to stand trial, Konoha will decide his fate. Sasuke is unconcerned. The truth behind the Uchiha massacre is now common knowledge. Itachi's name has been cleared, and that is enough for him. With most of the Elders killed during the war – including a number of deaths which Sasuke has personally ensured can never be traced back to him – a new Council is now in place. Naruto brings him new updates from time to time.

"Oi, teme," Naruto says, breaking into his train of thought. "You're looking constipated again."

Sasuke snorts. He is about to tell Naruto to get lost when his friend fixes him with an intense, fierce look. "Have you seen Sakura-chan lately?" Naruto asks seriously.

Sasuke shakes his head. He hasn't seen Sakura much at all. She has been by a couple of times over the past few months – she does work in the building in which he is currently trapped in, after all. But the years – and their terrible, twisted history – have put a cool insurmountable distance between them. She smiles and she calls him Sasuke-kun and she's even brought him apples once. He knows she's trying. Unfortunately he only recalls the tightness around her eyes, the careful way in which she holds herself. She never stays long.

Sasuke understands. His return makes her uncomfortable. He thinks that he should feel sorry about the state of their frayed bonds. Unfortunately, there is very little in the world today that can move Uchiha Sasuke so.

Naruto sags with disappointment at his response. "Me neither," he confesses. "Poor Sakura-chan," he laments, picking idly at a daisy. "They're working the crap out of her."

Sasuke hears what is left unsaid: I'm really worried about her. I miss her.

The bond between Naruto and Sakura is a beautiful thing. Sasuke doesn't recognize the care and love that runs between his former teammates. It is a bond that was forged and set during the years he had been away. Naruto has always loved Sakura, and has only grown to love her more as the years passed. Sakura is no longer the object of his childish infatuations – she is more. She is family now. Naruto loves and cherishes her with a purity that Sasuke can barely begin to comprehend. He will never admit it, but the lack of understanding and the unfamiliarity leaves him feeling curiously empty.

Naruto is right, though. Sakura is incredibly busy. In the aftermath of the war, Sasuke finds himself somewhat neglected and bored. The whole of Konoha is busy trying to pull itself together. Warriors like Naruto and killers like himself are not needed at the moment; it is the builders and the teachers and the healers like Sakura who are leading the way now.

He catches glimpses of Sakura around the hospital. She is always talking to someone, giving orders, calling for files. Sometimes there is blood speckled across the front of her scrubs – she might have finished another daunting surgery. Sometimes he spots her striding purposefully down the corridor late at night, nursing a mug of hot putrid coffee.

Sakura will always spare him a distracted smile if their paths cross. She never ignores him explicitly. Sasuke inevitably finds himself observing the way her wispy pink hair is tucked messily behind her ears, the paleness of her skin. More often than not, though, she simply tries to avoid him altogether by choosing a different route. She is trying to be subtle about it, but Sasuke knows anyway.

"Well, since we're already in the hospital, I'm gonna hunt her down," Naruto declares. He leaps to his feet, grinning. "Coming, teme?"

Sasuke doesn't reply immediately. Chances are that Sakura will be busy with something anyway, so what is the point? But then Naruto's gaze turns pleading and he opens his mouth to whine, so Sasuke sighs and gives in. "Fine," he says dully. "Will you leave me alone after that?"

Naruto's mischievous grin isn't exactly reassuring, but Sasuke takes what he can get.

(late, night out)

"OI! Sasuke-teme!"

Sasuke recoils slightly as an inebriated Naruto pounces upon him. His nose crinkles slightly as Naruto slings a sweaty arm around his shoulders and waves manically at a young man behind the bar. "A beer for my best pal!" he all but shrieks in excitement.

Sasuke lets out a long-suffering sigh, trying to dislodge himself from Naruto's surprisingly firm grip. He halts the bartender with a firm hand. "Sake," he corrects calmly. Then, because the nights are turning long and chilly with the onset of autumn, he adds, "Warmed, please."

They are in a newly-built izakaya in the heart of town. Naruto tells him that this used to be one of the most popular places around before it was torn apart by the war. They've rebuilt it now, and the owners are celebrating with heavily discounted drinks and complimentary food. Naruto chooses this moment to shove a plate of steaming fried chicken in his face. "You gotta try this," his friend enthuses, leading him deeper into the establishment. "This place is amazing!"

Sasuke declines the offer, and tries not to smirk at the bits of fried chicken clinging onto Naruto's cheeks. Naruto rolls his eyes. "Suit yourself," he retorts. They turn a corner, and suddenly they find themselves outdoors. It is a heated beer garden, decorated with glowing lanterns. Sasuke raises a brow. Not quite a traditional izakaya then.

Naruto beckons, heading towards a corner of the garden. "Come on, the others are already here," he says happily. Sasuke shrugs and follows.

The others. That's right. The Council delivered the verdict on Sasuke's trial today. Sasuke knows he has gotten off lightly – they are putting him on one year of house arrest, chakra sealing and heavy surveillance, followed by two years of probation. In this time, he is to assist Konoha in rebuilding efforts and enemy base destruction. He is not allowed to leave Konoha, and Tsunade orders him to submit to regular physical tests. Sasuke has already spent six months under ANBU surveillance in the hospital, so really, it is only six months of house arrest. It is an incredibly light sentence, and Sasuke knows that there are many who have spoken up in his defence. It is a realization that leaves him feeling oddly uncomfortable and lost.

Naruto, with his dogged persistence and ridiculous charm, has somehow managed to persuade Tsunade and the Council to delay the start of Sasuke's remaining sentence by a day. In a fit of sentimentality, Tsunade agrees, so Naruto pulls together a celebratory bash in the span of a few hours. It is here that Sasuke finds himself, surrounded by what's left of the Rookie 9 in a dimly lit garden.

He pauses for a moment, as the others turn towards him. He has seen them all at various points during the war and since his return, but never together. This close, he can see how age has sharpened their features and darkened their eyes. It is surreal.

"Uchiha Sasuke-san!" Lee is the first to greet him. He waves energetically, a beer bottle clutched tightly in one hand. Alcohol brightens his eyes and reddens his cheeks. Sasuke nods stiffly.

The acknowledgements begin. The greetings are not void of suspicion, but they are polite and kind, for the most part. Hyuuga Hinata smiles warmly at him and murmurs her welcome. Kiba half-snarls, half-smirks at him and keeps his distance. Shikamaru nods and offers a small smile before he attempts to subdue Ino, who, emboldened by alcohol, bats her eyelashes and lays a hand coyly on Sasuke's arm. She says nothing of the things she has seen when she picked his brain apart in the interrogation chambers.

Sakura is conspicuously absent.

Naruto breaks away from him soon after, and Sasuke spots him speaking lowly but earnestly to Hinata in a corner. There is a tremulous contented smile hanging from her lips, and her eyes glow with pleasure as she listens to the blonde.

Kakashi appears at some point, and Sasuke follow his former teacher to the bar. They don't say very much to each other save for the obligatory greetings, but that is fine. Sasuke and Kakashi have always been that way. They order more sake – the best in the house, in fact – and drink together peaceably. Kakashi mentions that Sakura is still in the hospital – emergency surgery, apparently – but she's promised to come along at some point. Sasuke grunts. He doesn't really care or mind, to be honest.

The conversation veers gently into training and techniques. Alcohol wraps Sasuke's senses in a warm, pleasurable cloak. They begin discussing the finer points of lightning-based jutsu, and for a moment, Sasuke allows himself to pretend that he's never left.

At last, Kakashi claps a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "It's good to see you back, Sasuke," the older man says quietly. His voice is tired but full of something light. "I hope Konoha brings you peace."

Sasuke says nothing. When the bill arrives, he waves Kakashi off. Kakashi's eyes glint and he nods. He understands that it is as close an apology as Sasuke is ever going to give.

Kakashi departs soon after, muttering about leaving the young ones to enjoy themselves. Sasuke wanders back into the garden. He spots the others still in the same corner, looking increasingly intoxicated now. Ino's cheek is pressed into Shikamaru's chest; she looks like she's having some difficulty sitting up by herself. Shikamaru, on the other hand, has a look of exasperation on his face. He calls out to Choji, gesturing to Ino, but his large friend is oblivious to the world as he helps himself to a multitude of dishes placed on a nearby table. If Sasuke were a lesser man, he might have chuckled at Shikamaru's suffering.

Ino bolts up suddenly. Her hair has come out of its usual tie, and spills over her shoulders in long golden streams. "Sakura!" she cries happily, lurching out of her seat. Shikamaru mutters an expletive and reaches out to steady his teammate. She tumbles backwards with a surprised giggle, falling messily into Shikamaru's lap.

"Stay still and stop moving, you troublesome woman," Shikamaru complains. His hold is gentle, despite the roughness of his tone. "Stay still before you throw up again."

"You puked already?" Sakura exclaims as she approaches. Sasuke watches her from the corner of his eye. Her hair is tucked messily behind her ears and her eyes are bright and green. It is clear that she has come straight from the hospital. Sasuke guesses, from the relaxed quirk of her lips, that the surgery has gone well. She breezes past him and towards Ino, sweeping her friend into a quick hug. Ino reaches out awkwardly from where she is splayed across Shikamaru's lap. Sasuke wants to smirk at the look that crosses the male's face as he tries to move away from the pile of festering female affections taking place on his lap.

"Sorry I'm late," Sakura explains as she pulls away. "The lab reports took forever to be signed off." Her voice is clear and expressive. Ino's voice lurches into a high whine of complaint, but Sasuke is focused only on the animated ups and downs of Sakura's bell-like voice. He realizes absently that he has not spoken to Sakura in a few months now.

Sasuke loses interest in their conversation soon after. It is getting late, and Naruto (and Hinata) is nowhere to be seen. Sasuke shrugs and decides to indulge himself – he will order one last bottle of sake before heading home. He leaves the garden, returning to the bar, and places his order with a server. Sasuke takes his time with his drink, enjoying the smooth glide of the warmed liquor down his throat. He cannot remember the last time he has let himself be this relaxed.

He is halfway through when Sakura drops quietly into the seat beside him. "Hi," she says somewhat breathlessly. Her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are bright. Sasuke detects a whiff of something fruity and sweet on her breath. "May I?" she asks.

He gestures wordlessly to the extra cup beside his bottle of sake. "Thanks," Sakura quips. She pours herself a drink and knocks it back easily. There is little finesse in her actions. She finishes the drink with a satisfied sigh, wiping her lips with the back of her head. "Excellent choice of sake," she comments, resting her chin upon one dainty hand. "Can I have another?"

Sasuke nods, but is unable to stop himself from raising a brow at her actions. Sakura notices and lets out a little laugh. The familiarity of that sound – and how long it has been since he's last heard it – sends a surprising twinge of nostalgia whispering down his spine. "Sorry," she says brightly, not sounding sorry at all. "I'm a little buzzed."

That is a lie. Sasuke sees the lucidity in her eyes. He steels himself, because he knows that she must be up to something.

He is not disappointed. Sakura downs her second cup of sake just as rapidly. She has barely set the empty cup upon the counter when she turns to face him. He feels the weight of her green, green gaze settle over him. She seems to be looking for something. "Sasuke-kun," she says earnestly, seriously. "How have you been?"

He thinks of Naruto's grip on his arm as he struggles to adjust to the drugs they have pumped into him. He thinks of Tsunade's face, pinched and displeased, when she reviews his progress. He thinks of long dark nights in the hospital, covered in cold sweat, and he thinks of his brother's ghost, haunting the periphery of his consciousness. He thinks of what he could say, and then he thinks that he should say nothing to this girl who used to be his teammate but is now barely more than a stranger.

Sake loosens his lips, and the words escape him before he has a chance to take them back. "Not good," Sasuke replies lowly. His eyes are dark. He stares back at Sakura, daring her to say something. When she stays silent, he shakes his head and takes a careful sip of his drink.

"Getting better," he offers again after a pause. His words brim with honesty.

The smile that forms on Sakura's lips is soft and sad. "That's good," she murmurs. Her eyes run over his form. It is a clinician's appraising gaze. "You've lost a lot of muscle mass, Sasuke-kun."

He does not reply. He feels exhausted, all of a sudden, as though the admission had taken too much out of him. Sakura is right – the months trapped in the hospital have left him physically weaker than what he used to be. Sasuke's lip curls in contempt, but it is unavoidable. His wounds have taken a toll on his body, his chakra is sealed, and he is not allowed to train.

Sakura speaks again, unmindful of his silence. "I came to say goodbye, Sasuke-kun," she says.

That gets his attention. They are not close, but he glances at her anyway, an unspoken question in his gaze. Sakura shrugs. "I'm leaving on a mission to Suna," she explains. Her fingers toy with the empty sake cup before her. "I have been invited to help rebuild and restructure their hospitals."

Sasuke picks up the sake bottle and fills her cup. She jumps, as though she is surprised. Then she manages a tentative smile and nods her thanks.

Sasuke is not surprised by the news, to be honest. He has come to learn, since his return, that Haruno Sakura is highly regarded and extremely capable. That Suna would request for her expertise seems only natural. Sakura may not be able to defeat him in battle just yet, but her ability to heal is phenomenal – it is something he does not quite understand. Sasuke finds himself holding grudging respect for the slender young woman beside him. "How long?" he asks, out of politeness.

"Five months." Sakura hesitates. "Actually, it's an open-ended mission. But I think I can wrap it up in five months."

"You haven't told Naruto yet," he guesses. Naruto would have come yelling his head off to Sasuke if he had known.

Sakura shakes her head. She looks sad. "He's going to be really upset," she admits. "The missive arrived today. I'm leaving in three days."

Sasuke nods. "Have a good trip," he says stiffly, because he does not know what else to say. Sakura's impending departure holds little significance to him – he barely speaks to her, as it is. Still, his former teammate smiles in response, as though she appreciates his words. There is a long pause, and he thinks it is the end of the conversation.

Sakura surprises him. "I have been avoiding you," she confesses out of the blue.

Sasuke looks up, faintly bewildered. He already knows this, of course, but he has not expected her to bring it up. He stays silent, waiting.

Sakura ignores his lack of response with practiced ease – it has always been this way between them – and barges on. "I'm glad you're back in Konoha," she says. Her eyes are fixed on an invisible spot on the bar counter. He can see that she is steeling herself. "I am glad you're back in Konoha," she repeats, sounding a little more convicted now. "But I don't know how to deal with you being back yet."

Sasuke says nothing. He does not know what to say, to be honest.

"I hope that when I get back," Sakura continues softly. "I'll be a better friend to you."

He watches as she hops nimbly off the stool beside him. She turns towards him and offers him a small but real smile. "Take care, Sasuke-kun," she says at last. "Thank you for the drink."

Sakura hesitates. Then she touches him on the arm briefly – awkwardly – before she leaves.

(bravery)

Sakura sends him a postcard.

The postcard arrives on a Tuesday morning, slipped discreetly under his front door. He has had a rough night – Tsunade is weaning him off the pain medication – so Sasuke finds himself thrumming with frustration that day. He spends about fifteen minutes glaring hard at his front door, musing over the ramifications of running straight out that door and through the gates of Konoha before he notices a corner of the postcard peeking shyly from underneath the heavy wooden door.

The simmering annoyance bleeds away momentarily. Sasuke is surprised. He hasn't expected mail.

He pulls the card towards himself. It slides over easily, revealing a picture of rolling sand dunes and what looks like a tiny oasis in the background. Flipping it over, he recognizes Sakura's sloping cursive hand.

It has been nearly three months since Sakura left on her mission to Suna. She writes to Naruto nearly every week, and Naruto never fails to babble on about Sakura's updates whenever he gets a new letter. This is, however, the first time she's ever written to Sasuke.

Dear Sasuke-kun, the postcard greets. I hope this card finds you well!

It is a short message, cheerful and sloppy and brave. Sakura tells him that she's been busy with work, and that there was a sandstorm earlier that week. He spots splotches of ink and a slight coffee stain at the bottom of the card – he imagines that she found a couple of minutes to scribble a message between meetings. The rest of her message is peppered with questions about his health and well-being. It ends with sincere well wishes and a promise to write again.

Sasuke stares pensively at the postcard he is holding. It is a little bizarre, he thinks, that Sakura is writing him a postcard. Then, out of the blue, he thinks of Sakura's words to him at the bar.

I hope that when I get back, I'll be a better friend to you.

Sasuke re-reads the postcard. He fingers it carefully, and now he picks out the bravery and exhaustion that colors her words. He thinks of the courage she must have had to summon to write this message – to reach out to him again. She must know that he won't reply these letters.

Sasuke turns and heads back into his bedroom. There is a framed photo of Team 7 on his bedside table – Naruto was the one who had put it there. He had also kicked up a ridiculous fuss when Sasuke tried to remove it. Silently, Sasuke slips the postcard underneath the photo.

It is a little bizarre that Sakura is writing him a postcard, Sasuke thinks, but it is not entirely unwelcome.

The letters continue to come. They are not as regular or affectionate or long as the ones she sends to Naruto and Ino, but they nonetheless continue to appear. Sasuke grows to regard them with a mix of amusement, confusion and eagerness. It breaks the monotony of his days. He never replies, but he tucks each letter and postcard away under the photo of Team 7 in his bedroom.

Naruto is delighted. There is real pleasure in the blonde's face as he babbles on about how he knew Team 7 would come together in the end.

Sasuke ignores Naruto's inane chattering. He does not reply the letters.

(a night without stars)

Three months after the first postcard arrives, Sasuke wakes up in cold sweat. He allows a soft hiss to escape past his gritted teeth, even as he trembles from the sharp pains that stab into his side. His heart is pounding harder than his head – Tsunade has warned him that this would happen. What she has not mentioned is how brightly and clearly Itachi's bloodied face would be etched in his mind, twisted in an expression of exquisite agony.

His heart clenches. Sasuke is annoyed, and tired, and sick to the bone. He thinks that he should be used to this by now.

Sasuke shoves the covers away and pushes himself up. It is still night, and a glance in the direction of the window alerts him to the inky blackness that currently shrouds Konoha. There are no stars tonight, he observes, and the thought sends his mood plummeting even further. How appropriate, he thinks darkly.

Sasuke longs, suddenly, for the night to end. He does not feel like dealing with the forceful tremors and heart palpitations that accompany his nightmares – he does not feel like thinking about anything at all.

He just wants it all to stop.

His attention is diverted by a particularly strong stab of pain. His side aches, more so than usual after one of these episodes. Absently, Sasuke touches the healing wound.

This is a new injury. He's gained it only a few days ago, when they sent him out with a team of ANBU to assist in the destruction of abandoned enemy bases. Sasuke is almost embarrassed by the injury. While Konoha allowed him the use of his chakra for this mission (but not his Sharingan), and Naruto sparred daily with him to prepare for the mission, the lack of training had taken its toll on his body.

The mission was a success, of course, but there was an attack on the way back. Sasuke had been just a fraction of a second too slow in dodging a particularly sharp poisoned blade. It is a mistake that still festers when he thinks about the mission.

In the darkness, his fingers come away sticky and wet. Sasuke sighs. He reaches out and flicks the light switch on. White light floods the room. He blinks for a moment as his eyes adjust to the harsh lighting, focusing on the red that now coats his hand.

It seems like his wound has reopened.

Sasuke takes a moment to run his fingers over the swollen flesh on his side. There is a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye, and he looks over stoically when a member of his ANBU guard appears noiselessly just outside the window. The guard hovers in the window respectfully, tilting his head in a silent question.

Sasuke shakes his head minutely. He doesn't need medical assistance. He can deal with this on his own. The guard hesitates. Then he gives a short nod and disappears as silently as he appeared. With a soft sigh, Sasuke leaves the bed and heads for the kitchen. He has a first-aid kit somewhere, he thinks. He can take care of himself.

An hour later, Sasuke begins to reconsider his decision. The blade that had cut him had been coated with a particularly nasty poison with anti-coagulating properties. By the time Sasuke had ended the fight, he was barely clinging on to consciousness. It had taken the team medic a long time to stabilise him for the return to Konoha. Sasuke does not actually recall returning to Konoha – he is told by Naruto that he had to be carried, dragged and cajoled along the way – but he does remember Tsunade's sharp and commanding voice piercing through the haze of blood loss and pain. Tsunade barked at him to pull himself together, and then she hollered at someone else to bring her more bags of blood.

When Sasuke woke up again, Tsunade was sweeping out of his room with a contemptuous sniff. "Glad to see you back in the land of the living, Uchiha," she snapped. "Now stay here while I go wash your blood off. And, whatever you do, don't reopen that wound, or you'll regret it."

Sasuke left the hospital just a day ago. He begins to understand Tsunade's warning – while blood isn't exactly gushing out onto his clean polished floors, his wound simply won't stop bleeding. Sasuke sits on his bed, applying pressure against his side. It is just a little trickle of blood, but it is certainly beginning to annoy the hell out of him.

Languidly, Sasuke turns his attention to the view outside his bedroom window. Darkness is receding at last, he notes with something like relief. He observes the dull grey skies lightening as a new day slowly begins. Thick clouds hang low in the horizon, obscuring the sun. Outside, a fine glitter of frost covers the ground.

Sasuke's focus is drawn, almost instantly, to little buds and shoots peeking out from the ground in the weak morning light. He lets his eyes drift shut for a moment, mindful of the blood still oozing from his side.

Spring is here, he thinks.

There is a tickle of a warm, strong chakra against his senses. Sasuke's eyes open at once, surprised. Two seconds later, Sakura knocks politely against the glass of his bedroom window.

Sasuke blinks.

He gestures his consent after a moment of consideration, and then Sakura is slipping into his room. Cold, crisp air follows her in. She lands quietly as she hops down, before she busies herself shutting the windows. Then she turns around and offers him a tentative smile.

"Hi," says Sakura, a little breathlessly.

In the pale morning light, her eyes glow a soft, soothing green. Her hair is a little longer now, tucked messily behind her ears, and her skin is lightly tanned. There is color in her cheeks from the cold. "I was on my way back from the Hokage's tower when a little bird told me that you were having a little trouble with your side," she says casually. She holds herself carefully, as though she is not quite sure if she should be here in his room. "May I?" she asks.

Sasuke hesitates. He watches Sakura with dark, unfathomable eyes. The room is too small, and Sakura is too close. He isn't prepared for this at all. Yet his wound is still bleeding, and he is tired of applying pressure to his side.

After a moment of consideration, Sasuke draws his hand aside silently to let her examine the reopened wound.

Sakura smiles somewhat formally, crossing the room with steady, confident strides. Green healing chakra flickers to life around her right hand. She presses it close, and Sasuke feels the sides of his torn flesh knit together slowly. The oozing of blood slows after a moment. Eventually it stops altogether.

Sakura eyes the wound with clinical interest as the healing chakra dissipates. "Looks like you've been busy, Sasuke-kun," she says lightly. "Not many people survive that poison."

Absently, she runs her fingers softly over his side. Sasuke wills himself not to shudder. "When did you get back?" he asks. His voice is rough from disuse.

"Last night," Sakura replies. Satisfied with her healing, she lets her hand drop to her side. "Tough mission?"

"Ambush," Sasuke says carelessly. "I accomplished my goal."

She shakes her head. "You were lucky. There'll be a scar, though."

Sasuke shrugs. It does not bother him; he has plenty of scars from past battles. "You didn't extend your stay," he states. Naruto had come in wailing some time back, complaining that Sakura was thinking about staying on in Suna for another few months. Sakura herself mentions it in a letter that arrived a few days later – she'd wanted to set up some apprenticeship and training program for field medics.

"No, I didn't. I-" Sakura pauses in the midst of her reply. She looks surprised, as though she hasn't expected him to know or remember. Then, a small smile appears on her lips. "I finished ahead of schedule. I might go back in a year's time to help review processes."

"Naruto will be happy," he answers.

Sakura's smile blooms at his words. Warmth lights up her entire face and Sasuke notices, to his discomfort, that her eyes are very bright and very green. "I was going to surprise him," she admits, breaking out into a soft laugh. She shrugs. "Well, I'll see you around, Sasuke-kun," Sakura intones cheerfully. "I'm off to the market. Please try not to re-open that wound."

She heads towards the windows. As she turns to wave goodbye, she freezes in place. It takes Sasuke a moment to realize that her eyes are fixed on the little pile of postcards that he keeps carefully under that framed photo of Team 7.

"You got my letters," Sakura says faintly. She seems like she can't quite believe what she's seeing. "You – I didn't know if you received them."

"Aa," says Sasuke. "I did."

He wonders if he should thank her for taking the time to write to him, as it would have only been polite, but before he can say anything, Sakura beams fondly at him. Something within him – something he hadn't even been aware of – relaxes at the sight of her knowing smile. It is like coming home at the end of a long day.

Sakura bids him goodbye and slips out the window, leaving only the faint scent of apples behind.

A/N: HI. So… this is my first attempt at sasusaku! I started experimenting with this sometime back in June, and as SSM came around I decided to weave some of the prompts in. It's been a long, long time since I've written any fiction, so feedback is much appreciated :)