A/N: Hi, hello! Surprise? ^^; It's been what, two years since I posted anything here? I hope y'all are still around and I'm so grateful for all the kind reviews you left for my stories even when I was away! So, here's a new SasuSaku one-shot just for you guys. I've been seeing a lot of comments regarding the controversial 'two and a half minutes long date' thing, so I decided to play around with the idea a little. :p This doesn't follow the timeline from my previous stories since they were written before Gaiden and whole travelling thing came out, so I guess this one's more canon compliant. Enjoy!

Two and a half years, that was how long it took for him to feel like he was ready to go home. To finally go home.

He'd be lying to himself if he said he hadn't been expecting to find her at Konoha's forever familiar gates when he returned. It was like she had a way of knowing whenever he was looming around this particular area, or even intending to. She had known when he'd decided to leave the first time, had wordlessly appeared by his side whenever he'd walked by the zone during his brief stay after the war, even if his intentions had nothing to do with leaving and then… seen him off when he had eventually decided to leave again.

He found her not exactly at the gates but a little further in, near the bench. Near that bench. Her chin slightly tilted up, hand extended to catch the falling snow flakes, her pastel pink hair contrasting so heavily against the surrounding white world – she had been a sight to see.

She had sensed him quickly, turned and stared at him with those bright eyes, stunned and… stunning. His lips had curved up at the edges and he had carefully trudged towards her. He had noticed the hesitation but she had him surrounded with her warm embrace soon enough.

"Welcome back, Sasuke-kun," she had breathed into his chest.

He had felt a sense of déjà vu and he realized he had probably dreamt of this at some point.

Brushing the fresh, white powder out of her hair, he had said, "I'm home, Sakura."

And maybe it was the cold, maybe just the fact that it had been so long, but being held had never felt that good.

.x.x.

Two and a half months, that was how long it had been since they started travelling together.

He should have known she'd find him this time. She had ignored him for three days after he had announced his decision to leave again and he, too, had let her be. He had convinced himself to be responsible and not ask her to accompany him – it wasn't fair to ask her to leave the comfort that came with living in one's own village with family, friends, a warm bed, proper food and to join him on his uncertain and variably dangerous adventures – but being as selfish as he was, he had been hoping all along that she'd follow him anyway.

She hadn't asked for his permission to join him when she showed up and he liked it better that way because he didn't think she needed any. He wasn't surprised at how easily she kept up with his pace and habits and she'd always set up her own tent, cook her own food, manage her own supplies – for the first few days, she was independent to the extent of seeming almost passive-aggressive.

"You seem irritated lately," he had said, realizing only too late how counterproductive that had been.

He had left some wild flowers outside her tent before she woke up the next morning and that had led to results much better than what he had anticipated. She started engaging him in longer conversations again, started offering to share their meals and even his tent on particularly cold days. She started smiling more often, humming as they walked towards their destinations, suggesting new activities whenever they made a stop and occasionally, very occasionally brushing her hand against his.

It had taken just one stranger pointing it out for him to accept that what they had between them now… was more or less courtship. It was as surprising to her as it wasn't to him that he didn't mind saying it out loud. In fact, he'd make it a point to say something that suggested it whenever Sakura attracted… a certain kind of company.

When Sakura casually muttered that they hadn't really been on a date, Sasuke was shocked. What exactly had they been doing everyday then?

"A real date," she had insisted.

A real date, he was told, had to consist of a traditional act of pleasurable companionship such as going out for a meal together –

"We've been eating all our meals together for the past two months, Sakura," he had dead-panned.

Or taking a romantic stroll under the stars –

"This is ridiculous, we walk together for most of the day on most days – under the Sun and the stars."

Going to the theatre or attending a fun event together –

"Multiple festivals," he had groaned. "Is it necessary to label it as a date for it to be considered one?"

Holding hands, kissing –

He had fallen silent.

And now, here he was, still silent. Her gaze was on her feet, the red tinge on her cheeks visible even in the dim of the night.

Well, he supposed, they hadn't really done that… last part.

He cleared his throat. "It's getting pretty late."

She nodded and started towards their tent. It was simply a matter of practicality, he had told her. Setting up and dismantling two tents was just unnecessary work that slowed them down, plus they had often shared one as genin and they'd still have separate sleeping bags, so…

The truth was… he simply felt more at ease if she slept where he could keep an eye on her. He knew she was fully capable of taking care of herself but sometimes, when he woke up after a particularly bad nightmare or from the sounds on an impending storm, he couldn't help but worry about her.

That night, he didn't sleep.

In his mind danced all the possible places within a five mile radius that he could take her to the next day, on a real date, that is. And once he had decided on that, he started planning activities they could do there together. He thought back to everything she had said earlier, but his mind kept focusing on the last word that had left her mouth… her mouth…

His mismatched eyes didn't sway from it. He studied it, committing everything to memory – the curves of her lips, the ridges that decorated them, the way they parted every now and then to reveal a glimpse of her tongue.

He felt a shiver run down his spine.

Why hadn't they done it yet? Why hadn't they kissed? More importantly, why did it bother him so much?

The Sun rose sooner than it would on most days Sasuke couldn't sleep. Nothing like staring lustfully at your travelling companion to help the time go by…

He waited till her eyes fluttered open to lazily meet his, but he didn't waste much time after that.

"I'd like to take you somewhere today," he said. "I'll clarify beforehand that it's meant to be a… date," he added with a hint of a smile.

Her reaction came instantly. She grinned, in his favourite way – the kind that fully displayed her meticulously white teeth and made her eyes wrinkle and shrink.

Now, he just hoped the place wouldn't disappoint her. He'd picked it out carefully of course. It was quiet, livid with greenery and had this refreshingly distinct bench facing the lake. The beautiful, glittering, deep blue lake was the main reason he chose to bring her here. The last time he had been here, it had left him with this strange, calming hope and he wanted her to feel the same. Not to mention, he was certain the place would fit most people's description of 'traditionally romantic'.

"Whoa," she inhaled, her arms spread out as she took in the scenery. "This place is beautiful!"

Clearly, it fit hers too. Sasuke allowed a self-satisfied smirk to adorn his face.

He took a seat on the bench and patted the space next to him. She happily complied, eyes still fixed on the lake.

"Did you come here on your last trip?"

"Aa."

"Ah," she sighed, a new, amusing smile playing at her lips. Her lips, with those particular curves and the ridges that were shallower around the edges and deeper towards the center…

He wasn't sure how it happened, he hadn't meant for it to, not like this anyway – he had wanted to talk to her about their next destination, eat the rice balls she had prepared especially for this occasion, he had wanted to hold her hand first, maybe stroke her hair a little, but this… maybe it was the lack of sleep, maybe just the fact that she looked so ethereal in that moment, but before he knew it… he had his sole arm around her shoulders and his lips pressed against hers.

She gasped immediately, obviously taken aback by his boldness. And he knew she hadn't meant for it to, but that only drove him further. No longer could it stay a controlled, chaste contact. He wanted to kiss her harder, to taste her more fully, he wanted more, more, more…

He didn't even realise when his will to feel her better activated his abilities… the fact that she quickly passed out shouldn't have surprised him – being felt up by Susanoo, albeit acting as an extension for his left arm, was probably not how most girls pictured their first dates to play out. But he preferred believing that it was simply the effect he had on her that caused the abrupt termination of their… activity.

Two and a half minutes, that was how long their first date lasted, or so Sakura said. Sasuke, of course, included the part where he carried her back to camp and apologised repeatedly to her unconscious form too. So, "it was at least forty-five minutes," he always argued.

After that first time though, kissing was no longer something rare or unspoken of between them. In the cold of the night, when they were huddled up together; sometimes as the very first beams of sunlight awakened them; on particularly long and tiring days; when she was mad at him or just hungry – frankly, he could never tell the difference – when his nightmares haunted him and other times, just because. He liked kissing her – not just her lips but her forehead, her eyes, her jaw, sometimes even down her neck... he had grown much better at controlling himself and she had become less timid – needless to say, their intimacy was quickly picking up pace, but he never crossed line, never until…

That one day when it was pouring so hard, he was sure the falling beads would permanently indent the ground below. They had run into a cave, soaking and breathless. Lighting a fire had been their first priority of course, but as she crouched down to do the job, she lit a different flame inside him and his priority changed.

He proceeded slowly and cautiously, seeking reassurance and adapting to her will and that day, Sasuke discovered a completely new side to her. Bare, brazen and overwhelming. He memorised every little detail again, the fact that his crimson eye had taken over almost automatically helped too – every touch, every movement, every moan, every cry, the look in her eyes…

It rained for two and a half hours, but it could've gone on for days for all that they cared. That night, he finally murmured the question he had been practicing saying for weeks.

She said yes.

In hindsight, it would've probably been smarter to let her light that fire, because they both came down with a very bad cold the next day.

.x.x.

"There's still plenty of time," she had told him. "We'll definitely make it back to Konoha."

Sasuke had learned early in her first trimester that arguing with a pregnant Sakura was like jumping into a river with your limbs tied, blindfolded and still hoping to make it out alive. So, he had agreed to her request to make another stop.

But as expected of an Uchiha, the little life inside her was restless and determined to be ahead of the game…

So, here they were now, at one of Orochimaru's hideouts of all places, delivering their precious baby… two and a half weeks early.

A/N: So, I hope you guys liked it and let me know what you think! Favs and reviews make an author's day! ^^