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Sakura’s day had started out normal. She had gone to the academy, sat through class, played with Ino after school, and finally went home for dinner. Her parents had tucked her in and like most evenings had started making and shaping different doughs and desserts. The Haruno’s owned and lived above a bakery that was fairly popular among the civilians of Konoha. She had been asleep for a few hours when she had been awoken by her mothers scream.  She jolts in her bed and hears a thud and another bone curdling scream coming from the bakery below their apartment.  
‘Help! Someone, please help!’
 Sakura slowly treads down the stairs connecting her family’s apartment to the bakery. Slowly opening the door she peeks out into the back of the bakery. She can’t see anything from her vantage point. Too afraid to speak, or call out, she shakily walks further into the bakery to see what is going on.  ‘Where is it? I know it's here!’ A deep raspy voice yells at her mother. Sakura can see the back of her mothers head as she walks ever so slowly behind the bakery countertop. At the age of eight she was still fairly short. She can just barely be seen over the counter, only if you were looking hard enough. 
‘I already told you I have no idea what you are talking about!’
 Sakura can tell there are two strangers in the closed bakery because the man who had spoken to her mother was in front of her while a new person dressed in an unfamiliar shinobi attire grabs her mothers hair and yanks. 
‘Last chance…’
 
‘We are civilians! I-I don’t know what you are asking for!’
 
‘Do it. Have her join the man.’
 Sakura’s eyes widen and she crouches down, her whole body trembling. Hiding under the countertop she hears her mother cry out and suddenly stop, followed by a thud similar to the one she had heard earlier.  ‘ Take what’s in the register and search the place, that bitch might have lied.’  Sakura realizes she is crouched under the register. Shaking wildly she crawls as quietly and as quickly as she can to the part of the counter top where there is an opening with a straight shot to run out of the bakery entrance and call out for help. One of the men has reached the register and has started taking money from the till. This was her chance, she gets up and runs as quickly as she can, pushing the glass door open.  She had forgotten about the entry bell.  Sakura looks back from the entryway and cringes in fear. Her parents lay on the familiar tiled floor of the bakery unmoving and in their own pools of blood. Liquid crimson dirtying the black and white tiled floor. She then makes eye contact with one of the men who had invaded her home. His eyes are green like hers, perhaps a shade darker than her own, with a scar running down the right side of his face. He looks like he is about to say something but must decide against it. He provides her with a sinister smile and flickers out of the bakery. Sakura runs down her neighborhood street, yelling and calling out for help. A jonin appears out of a nearby alley and kneels down to her level.  “Woah. What’s wrong?” “...Parents…killed…robbery…bakery...” Sakura can’t for the life of her get the words out. Her diaphragm seems to be moving on its own accord. Her arms shake as she points down the street in the direction of her family’s bakery.  “Show me.”  Sakura had been attending the academy for a few years now. She was used to ninja and understood basic protocol and how to use weapons in their most basic forms. She had been lucky her parents had decided to send her to the academy rather than the civilian school.  Due to her schooling she does as the jonin nin asks. Walking on legs that might give out at any moment she points to the darkened windows of the bakery. She doesn’t think she can go in there. She may throw up, or pass out, or cry or all of that. “Wait here.” She is grateful she is allowed to remain outside. The jonin enters and Sakura jolts when she hears the familiar bell ding . Five minutes go by and suddenly two more Konoha-nin come down from nearby rooftops. One enters the building, the bell causing her to tremble again. The other nin, a woman, leans down and gets at Sakura’s eye level. “I’m Kurenai, I’m here to help. Can you tell me anything about the people who did this? Any traits or features you can remember?” “Ah…uhm. A scar on his face, green eyes.” The woman’s eyes widened minutely. If Sakura wasn’t so alarmed by everything in this moment she may have missed it.  “What side was the scar on?”  Sakura closes her eyes and tries her best, not wanting to remember anything. She feels her body shutting down, her head becomes heavy.  “Right…”  Her body nearly meets the pavement of the street if not for Kurenai catching her. —- Her head aches. Her chest is tight. Her intestines feel like they are in a heated battle inside her. Sakura opens her eyes and is met with a blinding overhead light. She sits up slightly and looks around the white washed room. The sheets of the hospital bed she had been lying in have wrinkles everywhere, an indicator she had been tossing and turning all night. Under the door to her room she can make out a few silhouettes.  
‘What are we supposed to do with an orphaned civilian girl?’
 
‘Her records say she has no other family around.’
 Sakura gets out of the bed and walks closer to the door to hear what they are saying better. 
‘Keep her here until we figure out where to put her.’
 
‘She’s in the academy, she should have more skills than a civilian eight year old. That will help her.’ 
 The figures outside the door shift and Sakura runs back to her bed waiting to hear what they will tell her. The jonin who had helped her last night, enters her hospital room and walks closer to her bed. “Hi Sakura, remember me?” The woman asks sweetly. “Yes, Kurenai.” “Well, the village elders are figuring out the best solution for you during this tough time. The academy has been alerted that you will be absent for a few days.”  Tough time meaning your parents are dead and your home is no longer yours, goes unsaid. Sakura nods. “Who were those men?” Sakura asks. “We are looking into it. You should rest, you’ve been through a lot.” Sakura looks downcast, the jonin must be able to tell what she is feeling. “Listen, Sakura, you’re in the academy- use the skills you are taught there and become strong. Your parents gave you the gift of becoming a ninja by sending you there, consider that as your last gift from them.”  She can only nod, not fully grasping anything that is happening. She feels out of body in a sense having all these strangers make these decisions for her. Her whole life had shifted forever overnight.  Kurenai gives Sakura a warm smile and nods leaving and shutting the door to her hospital room.  Exhaustion settles over her again, Sakura looks at the clock on the wall across from her bed, 2PM the following afternoon. She lays back down and her eyes shut, no dreams play through her mind. Only black, and for that she is grateful.  — Hours later she is awoken to early morning sunshine shining through her hospital room window. Her bed had been shifted closer to the window and a curtain had been placed within the center of the room cutting the room into two. She sits up alarmed and hears voices behind the curtain. 
‘He was dropped off at the hospital unconscious by an anbu, apparently the whole district is in shambles, bodies everywhere.’
 
‘What are we supposed to do with him? He’s uninjured.’
 
‘Just let him rest and we will check on him when he wakes. The hokage will be around later today.’
 
‘How terrible. Two kids within two days, orphaned.’ 
 Sakura’s eyes widen and she sits up straight.  “Hello?” She calls out. A nurse emerges from behind the curtain. “Oh, sorry to have woken you. You have a roommate. Go back to sleep.” The nurse brushes her off and moves the curtain back in position. Before she had pushed it all the way Sakura had been able to make out the slightest image of her new roommate, black hair.  —Sasuke had collapsed on the stone streets of the Uchiha district after the conversation with his brother. The images in the darkness he had seen while he was passed out were horrifying. Images replaying within his dreams, memories of his mother and father dead on top of each other, blood dripping down his childhood home's wooden floor boards. Members or his clan slain in the streets, the awful things his older brother had said with his eyes red with the sharingan.  Sasuke wakes up screaming.  His clothes soaked with sweat, his eyes open widely as he takes in his surroundings.  White. From the bed to the walls. White…and pink ? A head of pink hair is peeking behind the curtain that separates the room he occupies. Before he can call out to the person, someone on the hospital staff walks in.  “What is going on?” He asks, he hadn’t realized he was breathing so heavily. The question he asked had left him breathless. “Calm down. Everything will be answered later today. You should lie down and rest for a bit longer.” “No! What’s going to happen?” The nurse tries to push him down slightly to lay him flat on his back. “Stop that! I don’t want to rest, I want answers!”  
Answers like how could his brother do this? 
 
How come he had been too weak, and allowed to live?
 
Where will he go from here?
 The door to the room opens again and the third Hokage and two anbu guards walk in. Sasuke stops fighting with the nurse and looks up in confusion. “That will be all, nurse. I will take it from here.” The Hokage says commandingly. The nurse lets go of Sasuke, bows and leaves the room.  “Girl, come out from behind the curtain, this concerns you too.” Sasuke watches from where the curtain separates the room and sees a familiar girl from his class at the academy appear from behind it.  Sasuke and Sakura both move to stand in front of the Hokage and his two anbu guards.  “I am sure you both have many questions and the village unfortunately at this time cannot answer much. We do have a solution for your living situation for the time being. Due to both of your tragic circumstances you will be sharing an apartment unit until we are able to put together a more complete solution.” Sasuke looks at the girl standing only a few feet away from him. 
Sakura.
 He knew her name, and that was about it. He recalls her trying to talk to him once after class, she had run off frantically before he could talk to her.  
What tragic circumstances was she going through?
 
Why are they assigning us to share an apartment?
 
Two eight year olds alone in an apartment? They were only children. 
 Sasuke remembers then that he was eight. He had just turned eight two days ago. The Hokage continues speaking. “The two anbu with me today have gathered items from your previous homes and have put them in your respective rooms at your new apartment. With the knowledge you have both acquired from the academy you should know the basics of caring for yourselves. A jonin will check on you quarterly and an allowance will be sent to each of you weekly.” Sasuke looks over at Sakura, who looks like she has just gotten the shock of her life. He inwardly feels the same. This had to be some sick joke.  “Do either of you have any questions before the anbu take you to your new dwelling?” Sasuke and Sakura look at each other and back to the Hokage, both too stunned to speak after this new information the Hokage had just dropped on them. They both remain quiet, he has countless questions he wants to ask but no sound leaves his mouth.  “What if we need anything?” Sakura asks quietly.  “You can get it with your allowance or ask the jonin during their quarterly visit.” She nods and is silent again. “If that is all, you will now be escorted to your new home.” The Hokage gives a nod and the anbu agents step forward walking out of the hospital room. Sasuke and Sakura follow behind side by side.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The two orphans walk up the creaky outdoor metal staircase following behind the anbu. The building has an older look to it upon first glance. Between the wobbly staircase and the chipping paint of the exterior it feels like the ‘village’ had chosen the cheapest place imaginable.  Their apartment is on the top floor of the building. One of the anbu turns around from leading ahead of them and gives each of them a key to their new home.  “Don’t lose these.” The one with a tiger mask speaks sternly and turns the doorknob.  Upon entry there is a large open space with a simple couch and a small table. On the other side of the room is a modest kitchen and a hallway that goes to their bedrooms and a shared bathroom space. One of the nicer features is the small balcony adjacent to the main living area.  “Your personal belongings are in your rooms, and there is food in the cupboards. Your first allowances are on your beds. Good luck.” The anbu leave quickly out the balcony and take to the rooftops.  Sasuke is the first to walk further into their new home. Sakura follows behind him and they walk around checking out the living area and the kitchen and moving towards the hallway that holds their bedrooms. The first bedroom is Sakura’s and the one across the hall is Sasuke’s. Sakura enters her new bedroom and the smell of her things that the anbu had left on the floor of the room floods her olfactory sense and her heart breaks. She pushes down the tears, having cried enough the past two days. Smells of home, of fresh baked goods still lingering on her blanket and clothes. Too tired to put things away she lays on the unmade bed and stares out the window in ‘her’ room.— Sakura’s eyes open minutes, maybe hours later to the dark haired boy she now lives with standing next to her bed, nudging her. “I’m going out.” He says flatly. Sakura nods, the sun lower in the sky now as she blinks awake. She hears his feet pad against the creaky hardwood floors of this new space and the front door knob turning. Sakura jumps off her unmade mattress and rushes out to him before he can leave. “Wait! Shouldn’t we eat dinner?” Sakura asks to his back as he turns the knob and opens the door. “I don’t want anything in that kitchen.” He starts to walk out of the threshold. “Where are you going?” He turns around and looks at her with a mean expression. “I’ll be back later.” Sasuke tells her tersely and climbs down the rickety staircase of their new building. Sakura waits until the sound of his footsteps are no longer heard, before she closes the door and locks it. Unwillingly she remembers her mother always checking their home's locks before going to bed. She shakes the thought from her mind and rummages through the cupboards and the refrigerator in search of something to eat. The food the anbu had left were large rations of rice, canned meat and vegetables. Nothing edible within the moment. Her stomach growls and she opens a can of green beans and eats a few, trying to feed herself something . She chokes down a few bites and stops, realizing it tastes like nothing.  In that moment she vows to learn to cook properly, never wanting to eat a room temperature canned vegetable again. Sakura goes to her room and takes a couple bills to go down to the streets below in search of a food vendor. Closing her bedroom door before she leaves glancing at his shut door, wanting to peek inside but ultimately choosing to leave it alone and respect his privacy. She wouldn’t want him looking through her things after all.   —Sasuke walks the streets, avoiding the abandoned and desolate Uchiha district. Kicking a rock along a road he had decided to travel along. His mind conjures up images of his relatives, blood lining the old cobblestones and walls. He focuses on anything within his peripheral vision to rid his thoughts of his dead clan.  He had hit an edge of Konoha it seems, before him lies a meadow with long green grass. He walks through it, grounding himself by letting the grass touch his arms and legs listening to the sounds of the bugs hopping around, swatting a few away from him in the process.  The sky was changing from pale yellow to shades of orange gold. He follows the sounds of voices out of the field of long grass. He ends up in a different area than where he had come from. Smells of street food hit his nostrils and he follows them to a variety of different vendors.  —They both arrive back at their shared home within an hour of each other. Sasuke had chosen to linger around the village after finding food in the street market. His new roommate is sitting on the balcony. Deciding to get this out of the way he joins her. Pushing the sliding door out onto the balcony he stands against the ledge, barely tall enough to peer over it.  “I know we are living together now, but let’s get something straight, no one other than us needs to know that. You take care of yourself and I’ll take care of myself.” Sasuke knows that probably came off meaner than he had intended but he had not expected the meek girl from his class to stand up, look him dead in the eyes and respond- “Fine! Jerk!” She storms off back into their apartment and slams her door. —After Sasuke had told her about not being connected other than living in the same space, she finds it easy to not attach herself to this boy. They go to school at different times anyway. The two had their days off to ‘recover’, and were promptly sent back to the academy. Since the loss of her parents, her home, and her way of life she had become closed off. Her brain doesn’t know which tangent to take, so she takes to books. She goes to the library regularly after school and studies there. She studies recipes mostly, and has picked up a beginner medical introduction book. The picture on the front of the book had intrigued her. Despite her and Sasuke ‘taking care of themselves’ she finds herself making too big of portions at meal times.  The first month they had lived together, he was never home. She wasn’t sure where he was, but he only ever came home to sleep. Into the second month he came home earlier, around dinner time. Being the kind girl she was, Sakura would offer some of the extra food she made.  “This rice is mush.” He says one day. She had eaten and washed up her dinner already and left out whatever was left for him.  “I did what the recipe called for!”  “Well you did it wrong.” Sakura grunts, annoyed, and walks to her room to study. She cannot believe she had a crush on this boy but a few months prior. The following day when she gets back from her trip to the library after school she sees a rice cooker on the counter top in the kitchen. She knew their allowances could not afford the appliance. He had been sitting on the ratty couch in the living room attempting to sharpen a few of his shuriken. Sakura sees he has knicks all over his fingers from sharpening poorly.  She can’t blame him though. Who was going to teach them to do these tasks if not themselves? “What’s this?” She asks, pointing at the machine. “A rice cooker.” He responds still focused on his weapons.  “ Duh . Where did it come from?”  “I found it.” Sakura walks over to the couch and looks at him, forcing him to look at her. “You didn’t steal this did you? We can’t get in trouble for that kind of thing!” Sasuke puts his weapons down with force, stands and stares at her. They were nearly the same height still so she doesn’t feel too threatened. “I didn’t steal it.”  “Well where would it come from if we can’t afford it?”  He sighs and creases his eyebrows together. His expression relaxes, just slightly. “I took it from my old house.” “Oh.” Sakura hadn’t thought of that. She knew his family was gone, just like hers, but the two in the time they had been living together, never had shared the details of their circumstances.  He sits back down and works on sharpening his last few shuriken while she mulls over what he had just said. She hadn’t really thought about going back to her family home to take things they would need. She had wanted to grab a few things from her old room that the anbu had failed to retrieve.  The memories of her parents laying on the floor of their bakery are too fresh in her mind to consider the thought of going back there, at least for now. That evening when she starts to cook rice he pushes her aside and measures it, washes the rice, and pours water into the cooker showing her a method for measuring the water to rice ratio with his finger nail. “Do it that way from now on.” Sasuke showing her how to cook rice in the fancy cooker he had taken from his former home had been the nicest thing he had done for her since they were forced into this situation.  The rice that evening had been the best she ever had.   They are nine now. A year had passed since they were first forced into their arrangement. Sasuke and Sakura both avoid each other save for mealtimes and when they are both at the apartment. In public they are strangers. At their apartment they are acquainted- at most. In the year they had been cohabitating Sasuke has come to observe things about her that she doesn’t seem to have noticed herself. Whenever the school bells ring to start or end the school day, she flinches. Her neck clenches and her shoulders tense. He only knows this because he sits behind her in class.  He has also noticed she is kind. Despite how much he wants to ignore this, he simply cannot. There had been a cat that roamed the outdoor hallway in front of their front door. He had seen her put out a bowl of tuna for the cat. Sasuke ends up putting out a bowl of water. Neither telling the other. Between the two of them they keep the cat fed and watered. After a few weeks it has gained some fat onto its bones and stopped coming around. They are left with extra cans of tuna after that.  Her kindness had translated to other, more embarrassing parts of their shared living arrangement.  His nightmares had caused him to have accidents in the night. Not often, but enough that she had woken up the past few times. The floorboards creak and give away any movement around the apartment. She would no doubt hear him walking around the four corners of his bed removing the sheets.  By the time he typically came back up from the machines a clean fitted sheet had been put onto his bed and her door shut. They never spoke of these instances and for that he is grateful.  He has also come to notice she would treat herself, only on months when she hadn’t spent her entire allowance, on cans of anmitsu. This was a more odd occurrence from her. But he couldn't judge, in the summer months when the tomatoes are in season he would buy more of the red fruit than usual in all the varieties.  The winter they are ten their apartment is broken into. They had both been asleep. Shinobi in training that they are, they hear the intruders before they see them, their bedroom doors still shut.  Sakura shakes as she grabs a sharp kunai she keeps under her bed. Sasuke grabs a handful of shuriken. They both creep to their doors and listen to the intruders, plural . There are multiple people, they can both deduce. Sakura opens her door carefully and throws her kunai out her door down the hallway. It hits the wall in the living room.  This can go one of two ways.  One, they go to her bedroom and do kami knows what to her. She’s no child anymore, despite her age. She knows of the horrors the shinobi world entails. Or two, they are scared off by the weapon whizzing past them into the wall. Sakura waits with bated breath, unable to see anything since her door is only open a crack and her angle to see down the hall is limited.  She looks across from her bedroom to Sasuke’s bedroom door slowly opening and a few shuriken are efficiently thrown down the hall, towards the trespasser’s.  “Shit lets get out of here!” A feminine voice.  “Fuck! Those are shinobi weapons, go out through the balcony!” A nasally male voice.  It seems Sasuke and Sakura had been of the same mindset to wait until they hear the would-be thieves leave out the balcony. Sasuke’s door opens first, and Sakura follows behind him as they go to the main area of their apartment to scope out the damage.  The pair remove their weapons from the wall. “These idiots really wanted a challenge, huh? The most difficult apartment to get to in the whole building.” Sakura says jokingly as the two of them turn on a light and scope out their belongings.  “Tch. Looks like they didn’t take anything, other than some food from the cupboards.” Sasuke is bent down in the small kitchen area surveying their refrigerator and food supply. “Really? I just bought food yesterday.” Sakura replies suddenly feeling woozy.  She feels herself begin to shake lightly, almost like a shiver. Joking about the situation, like she had tried, apparently did not work in warding off her fear. She sits down on the couch, hugging herself to calm down.  Sasuke must see her after his inventory check and goes to sit beside her. “You good?”  “I’ll be fine.” “You’re shaking like a leaf.” “Give me a minute.”  He walks off, she assumes he had gone back to his room to sleep. He ends up coming back out a moment later to the couch with his dark blue comforter from his bed. It had a smell, very Sasuke, but also the shared smell of their apartment. It was more comforting than she would dare to admit.  He puts his comforter around her shoulders and sits beside her, a distance away, but still beside her as she goes through this panic attack. Not her first, but her first in front of him.  “We should set up some basic traps for nighttime and when we are both away.” Sakura can only nod, still in her peak, shaking and her teeth clattering.  A few minutes pass and she is able to take a few deep breaths without stuttering, finally able to speak. “Do we tell the anbu?” She finally gets out. “No.” “Why?” “They haven’t done anything other than throw money under the door once a month. What makes you think they would do anything now?” Sakura can only sigh and lean back farther into the couch, her heart rate leveling out to normal.  She knows he’s right, but that night they come to a silent understanding of one another. A despondent sort of comfort in that they are all they have left to look out for the other.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

They turn eleven. This year in the academy Sasuke sits beside her instead of behind her. He expects her small tremor everytime the school bell chimes, but this year he has to fight the urge to reach out, even a small touch to let her know

it’s alright.

He doesn’t, he can’t.
 
Their arrangement

worked

. Their home life and public life remained separate, just as they preferred.

Right?

—
 
It’s a weekend and Sakura’s watching him walk around the main living area in their apartment.
 
“You need new clothes.” She says after watching him for a few minutes.
 
He stops his task and looks at her. 
 
“No I don’t.” 
 
“Yes you do! Your shirt is going to cut off circulation to your arms soon!” Sakura walks over to him and guides him to their bathroom to show him in the mirror. She watches as Sasuke looks himself over and rolls his eyes. 
 
“It’s not a priority right now.” He walks out of the bathroom and back to what he was doing. Sakura has lived with him for three years now, she knows when he is lying. She walks to her bedroom and pulls out a shoebox from underneath her bed. Sakura had made it a habit to save a small portion of every allowance the anbu gave her. She sifts through a few bills and coins and pockets them, walking back out to the area Sasuke is and over to the front door.
 
“I’m going out. I’ll be back in an hour.” 
 
“Ok, I’m making lunch soon. Do you want any?” 
 
“Sure.” Sakura says and walks to the merchant area of town. Once out of the apartment and walking through the streets she mentally counts out how much money she has and what she can buy with the amount. She estimates she can buy two new outfits for him, as well as a new pair of nin sandals, his toes were starting to hang out over the edge of his current ones. 
 
She had noticed he was spending more and more of his allowance on meat and weapons. Sasuke had set up a ‘security’ system after the almost robbery months ago. He also had bought a couple top grade kunai as well as a short blade. She can’t be too mad though because he does share a lot of his food with her. It also helped in his favor that he bought really good cuts of meat. Over the past year and a half especially they had been sharing with each other more  food, blankets, towels, soaps, they weren’t as territorial over things as they used to be.

Perhaps that's what happens when you live with someone long enough?

Sakura makes it to the men's clothing store and out of habit walks over to the clearance rack, like she does for herself. A salesperson walks over to her to ask if she needs any assistance and to inform her of the women's store just down the street. Sakura fights off the annoyance of this person assuming and instead says she’s fine. 
 
Sakura sifts through clothes until she finds some things that fit his neutral, dark color palette. She double checks and adds up all the prices of everything in her head and is under her budget, she pays at the register. The clerk eyes her curiously but bags her items and takes her money all the same.
 
Sakura walks back through the streets to their apartment. She can smell food being cooked from outside their door. One thing Sasuke had shown a strong affinity for was cooking. While Sakura had to study recipes and work on flavors, Sasuke was always a good judge of seasoning and how to cook meat. For some reason Sakura always sucked at cooking meat. She either under cooked it or it was deader than before she had purchased it. She recognizes they each had their strengths in the kitchen though, While she did not prefer to bake, for obvious reasons, when she did it always turned out amazing. 
 
Sakura unlocks the door and steps out of her sandals placing the bag of clothes onto the small kitchen table. Sasuke turns away from the stove and looks at the bag.
 
“What's that?”
 
“It’s for you.” Sakura walks back to her room and puts her change back into her ‘savings’ box.

Five, four, three, two…

“What the hell is this Sakura?” Sasuke had stomped to her room, she can hear the sizzle of meat still cooking in the pan. 
 
“Your meat’s going to burn.”
 
“I don’t need handouts.” 
 
“It’s not a handout.” 
 
“It sure seems like it.” 
 
“Would you just say

thank you

and we can move on!” Sakura almost shouts. 
 
Sasuke makes a characteristic mad face and she is

certain

he’s about to rip into her. Instead she is surprised to see his face shift and his breathing regulate. He turns around and she barely misses it, a curt–

‘Thanks.’

—
 
Sakura had shut down socially after her parents were murdered.

Murdered.

She can finally think the word, instead of shying away from it. Her mind used to take a different mental tangent before, to avoid even thinking of it. She was older now. She understood the scope. She lived through it. She was training to become a ninja of the Leaf. A literal killing machine if she had to be. It was only right that she became accustomed to thinking and saying the word. 
 
Ino had tried talking to her over the past couple of years but got the message when Sakura would brush her off, eat her lunch by herself or always leave school right away to study over books at the library. 
 
Today on an early spring day Sakura feels a sudden urge to reach out for contact again. She would talk to Sasuke at their apartment but it was never deep. Just enough information so they could live peacefully. 
 
She finds herself craving more, needing more. 
 
After school instead of walking to the library she turns and walks towards Ino and the other girls she used to hang out with. She waves at Ino and her old friend quirks an eyebrow at her. She tells the other girls to give her a second.
 
“What do you want? Done ignoring me now?” 
 
Sakura pauses, thinks and answers honestly.
 
“I think so.”
 
Ino stops and smirks slightly.
 
“Would you want to get tea with me somewhere?” Sakura asks.
 
“Sure. You’re buying though!”  Ino replies and walks over to the other girls, telling them she will see them tomorrow. Sakura is glad she understood, wordlessly, that she just wanted to talk to Ino today. She wasn’t ready for a group…

yet

.
 
They walk a short distance to a nearby tea shop and sit in a secluded booth. Ino eyes Sakura warily over her teacup.
 
“I’m not speaking first!” Ino finally says, exasperated.
 
“I’m sorry.”
 
“For what?”
 
“I--I don’t really know. I’m sorry I haven't been a good friend, or, I guess even a friend to you, at all, the past few years.” Sakura takes a deep breath, this would be the first time she had voiced what had happened since she had told Kurenai years ago.
 
“My parents are gone and I was dealing with the after effects of that.” 
 
“Gone as in they will or will not be back?” 
 
“They’re dead.” The word sends a strange pang to her heart but outwardly she remains neutral, steady.
 
“Hm.” Ino looks at her and takes a sip of her tea. 
 
“Let me get this straight. You just apologized to

me

? For being a bad friend because

your

parents died?”
 
“Yes?”
 
“Sakura. That may be the most backwards thing I have ever heard.”
 
Her green eyes widen and before she can figure out if she's mad or something else Ino rounds on her, slamming her hands onto the table.
 
“

I’m

the bad friend! Not you! I should have been there for you, tried harder to be there for you! You’ve been keeping this in for how long now?” 
 
Without any warning or preamble Sakura feels tears flowing down her cheeks, the emotion she realizes she’s feeling is relief. She wipes her eyes with the back of her hands.
 
“Three years.”
 
“Are you kidding?!” 
 
“Well that changes today! No more of that! Nope! You’re stuck with me now, whether you like it or not.”
 
“I’d like that.” Sakura laughs through her tears.
 
“And forget what I said earlier, I’m buying!” 
 
—
 
Sakura gets home later than usual after her meeting with Ino. Her heart feels just that little bit lighter. She has a friend again. Granted she has to be careful with what she can tell Ino but she has

someone

. 
 
Sakura unlocks the door and checks the security mechanism upon entry, it had already been undone meaning Sasuke was there. She walks in to see him eating at the table, almost finished with his meal. He looks up at her as she walks in further.
 
“What happened to you?”
 
“What?”
 
“Your eyes are red and puffy.”
 
“Oh it’s nothing.” Sakura waves it off and she goes over to the stove to see a portion size for her of the meal he had made. She sits at the table in her spot across from him.
 
“Sakura don’t bullshit me. Did someone hurt you?” Sasuke is suddenly serious and oozing anger. He rarely cussed so she knew she had to fix this quickly before anything escalated.
 
“No of course not!”
 
He’s giving her a look to explain.
 
“I reconciled with Ino. We’re friends again.” 
 
Sasuke raises an eyebrow and nods, proceeding to finish eating his meal.

—
 
Another summer has come and gone, the fourth since they had been assigned to live with the other. After this Fall, assuming they passed the exams come Spring they would officially be genin and he would be one step closer to his goals of avenging his clan by taking out his brother. Sasuke is at a point where he has looked over materials to teach himself new kata with his new and shiny weapons but he needs more. More guidance, someone who can provide more to help him learn new skills and techniques–especially if he hopes to take down

Itachi

one day. 
 
Sasuke has become very good at self teaching himself different forms. He was at a stage, though, where he wanted to ask questions about how to perform jutsu’s to the best of his ability or how to hold his chokuto so he can slice as efficiently as possible. 
 
He finds himself confused not only in matters of the ninja but of his own changing body. He had been growing taller, smelling

more

, and growing hair in

new

places. He understood the basics of puberty but it was still strange and an unknown territory for him, especially for someone so self sufficient.
 
Sasuke had thought he had grown past the bed wetting from nightmares. He hasn’t had to deal with soiled sheets and pants since he was ten. So when he wakes up on his stomach on a random night at the end of the summer, and finds himself soiled and flushed he scolds himself.
 
The difference between now and when he had been ten was he doesn’t recall a nightmare spurning his current issue. 
 
Quietly, as quietly as he can be because he knows Sakura will wake if he is not careful. He moves to the nightstand and turns on the lamp. Sasuke looks over the mess, it’s not what he had thought it was. His eyes widen and his cheeks flush as he realizes. He scrambles to rid his bed of the soiled sheet and his soiled pants and underwear. He gets a fresh pair of everything and a spare bed sheet from his closet. 
 
Sasuke hears a knock at his door.

FUCK! Not now! Not her!

“Sasuke? Are you ok?” Her voice is laced with sleep. She knocks lightly again.
 
“I’m fine. Go back to bed.”
 
“You sure? Need…anything?”

For you to go away!

“No. Go back to bed!” He says more sternly, his voice cracking. He’s too on edge to care though. He listens and waits as he hears her pad back to her room and shut the door. 
 
Sasuke breathes a sigh of relief and rushes out of the apartment and down to the laundry room. He had been sure to put a clean sheet on his bed before he left, for fear of an old habit of hers. 
 
He sits tiredly in the basement laundry room of their apartment building at 2 AM, and cries. 
 
He hasn’t cried since

that night.

He bites his lip to stop his tears from forming, as the washing machine

whirrs

in the background. 
 
He had kept going, and going, and

going

out of necessity to reach his goal and to rid the world of his brother one way or another. Tonight had hit him out of nowhere and for once he has to pause and sit with his problem.
 
This sucked. 
 
He was a kid forced to grow up all too quickly. Now he was alone with no one to talk to. No one to ask for help, no one to guide him and help him out on a bad day, through a jutsu, or

growing pains

, he was…alone. 
 
Sasuke calms down and finishes out the washing and drying and treks back upstairs carrying the load of laundry.  
 
To his surprise Sakura is sitting on the tattered couch with a steaming cup of tea. He sees another cup also steaming on the table in front of her. She glances at him as he walks to his bedroom. Sasuke deposits the laundry and debates for a little too long if he should go back to bed, knowing full well he won’t sleep. Or sit out in the living area with Sakura. Sighing he treks back to the living room and sits beside her on their couch. He leans forward and takes the spare teacup, sipping at it.

Chamomile. Just like his mother used to drink at night. Strange, he hasn’t thought of his mother in a long time.

“Are you alright?” 
 
“Fine.” 
 
They sit and sip their tea in the quietude of the early morning. 
 
“I hate it here.” She speaks ever so softly.
 
Sasuke turns and looks at her rather than the dark television he had been absently staring at a few feet away.
 
“Me too.” 
 
He knows they both mean Konoha. The situation they had been thrust into. 
 
Sasuke realizes in this moment that after almost four years perhaps he wasn’t as alone as he had considered himself to be.

—
 
Kakashi for once is not late to a scheduled meeting. Only because the meeting is with the third Hokage, his boss,  and this meeting is to look at his future genin’s living spaces. 
 
The Hokage and Kakashi make a joint face of disgust as they enter one of his soon to be new students apartment, his former sensei’s only child and jinchuriki to the nine tails fox demon. 
 
Kakashi walks around the space observing the overflowing trash container, empty ramen cups, and spoiled milk left on the small counter top. 
 
“Yikes. Might need to get this kid some vegetables.” 
 
Naruto’s apartment was a shock. But the bigger shock and one that seemed to be a shock to not only him but the Hokage himself was the rest of his genin’s living spaces. Well

joint

living space. 
 
They try to turn the nob and enter only to be nearly taken off guard by an active trap. 
 
“Curious.” Kakashi says observing the mechanism of the trap whilst deactivating it, like it's second nature.
 
“So they live together? How did that happen?” Kakashi asks.
 
“They were both orphaned a day apart.” The Hokage, Kakashi can tell from his expression seems to have forgotten that detail as well as he reads over the future genin’s charts.
 
“Hm.” Kakashi should have expected he would get a team of orphans, it must be somewhere on his resumé, ‘

expert on orphans’

within the fine print.

Kakashi studies their apartment and walks throughout the different areas.
 
Sasuke’s room to no surprise is very spartan. Only essentials but with a surprising array of weapons. 
 
Sakura’s room looks a bit more to what he would expect of a near teenage girl. It has a couple pictures and a few stuffed animals on the bed.

Personal touches.

As the third Hokage and Kakashi leave the apartment and talk on the stoop outside he realizes he has his word cut out for him.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Today was the day. The genin class had all passed out of the academy, albeit one person barely, but they passed. Three man cells were being announced today as well as their shinobi village headbands being handed out. Sakura can’t help but feel giddy. She would finally be a ninja for Konoha. Even though her feelings towards her home village are sometimes jumbled she still is excited to exercise her abilities to help civilians and her precious people. 
 
Once upon a time her precious people would have been her parents and a few neighborhood friends. Now, if she really thinks about it too hard, she only has two people come to mind that she wants to protect. She had wished both of them luck earlier that day, albeit separately but she would be rooting for each of them. 
 
Sakura’s class awaits for their team assignments as Iruka-sensei calls them out. Teams are finally being called out and a few already announced. Sakura perks up when she hears the first name for team seven being Sasuke, he remains seated beside her, unmoving and seemingly uncaring. Much to her shock her name is called. This has him turning his head, they share a brief moment of eye contact, and before they can recover the third member of their new team is called out, Naruto Uzumaki. 
 
—
 
The group of genin waited hours for their jonin team leader, a man named Kakashi Hatake. They have all introduced themselves to each other and Kakashi-sensei has dismissed them for the day, suspiciously telling them to skip breakfast tomorrow for their first test. 
 
Naruto is a seemingly never tiring ball of energy. Sasuke and Sakura are flanked on either side of their new whiskered teammate, as they walk through Konoha streets. Street lamps start to turn on as nightfall quickly approaches. 
 
“Well, we gotta eat good tonight if we can’t eat in the morning! You guys want to get ramen? I know a place!” 
 
Sakura shares a small glance at Sasuke, a silent question.
 
“Sure, where to?” Sakura agrees.
 
Sasuke says nothing and follows along with them. The newly formed trio eat and talk amongst themselves at the ramen shop Naruto seemingly frequents. It’s apparent he comes here often because of how familiar he is with the shop owner and chef. What Sakura is curious about is the bickering between her two new teammates. They seem to have a familiarity towards each other.
 
Sakura speaks up in the middle of a small minded argument they are having.
 
“Are you two familiar with each other?” 
 
“Tch as if!” Sasuke spouts with a pouty face, and Naruto says something of the same sentiment.
 
“This loser comes to the training grounds when I’m there and makes a mess when I’m trying to focus.” Sasuke explains. 
 
“I had to practice somewhere! And look, it paid off because I am officially a genin of the Leaf!” Sasuke rolls his eyes and Sakura smiles inwardly. She’s happy he has seemingly made a friend, even if he won’t admit it. The trio finish their meal and make off in three different directions. 
 
Once Sasuke and Sakura are both back at their apartment, Sakura decides to ask Sasuke about how they want to navigate their new team.
 
“We’ll probably need to tell them that we live together.” 
 
“Why would we need to do that?” 
 
“We can’t keep taking different routes everytime we want to go home. It’s a waste of time and energy for one of us to take the long way

every time

.” 
 
Sasuke rolls his eyes and walks back to his room.
 
“We’ll see.” He says to her before they turn in for the night. 
 
—

Midday arrives the following day. The trio are once again together at a training ground. Their new sensei

poofs

out of nowhere in front of them. Sasuke hears the bells before he sees them being held up by their new team leader. He glances over to Sakura who’s standing on the other side of Naruto. Too far away for him to steady her barely discernible shaking. Their new sensei proceeds to explain the challenge informing them that whoever gets the bells before the time is up can remain while the other(s) will be sent back to the academy.
 
“I’m getting a bell, believe it!” Naruto says once their sensei has finished his explanation. Kakashi gives the three a moment to think over their strategies, Sasuke goes over to Sakura who looks white as a sheet. Sasuke without really thinking too hard grabs her by the shoulders and looks into her eyes.
 
“You have to stay calm.”
 
Sakura furrows her brow and looks back at him.
 
“I am calm. Why would you say that?” 
 
“I know about your thing with bells. Ignore them the best you can, you have to get through this test.” 
 
“Psh. I don’t have a

thing

with bells.” Sasuke narrows his eyes at her. She was being annoying.
 
“Whatever. Just…try your hardest.” Sasuke doesn’t want to fight her if she’s still in denial about her issues. He tried to help her and she was being snappy.

Whatever.

“Oi! What are you guys talking about? Ready to go?” Naruto asks, inching his way over to the two of them.
 
“Nothing! Let’s do this.” Sakura responds.
 
The three wait for the signal from their sensei but to no one's surprise Naruto rushes onto the scene without preamble. Sasuke and Sakura wait for Kakashi to actually start them off. Kakashi quickly dispels Naruto’s attempt and tells the trio their time has officially started. 
 
Sasuke sets off and tries his best, his fingers grazing one of the bells. His attempt is futile though once their sensei puts him into the ground, leaving only his head surface level. Sakura just so happens to run by his head popping out of the ground and halts to look at him in bewilderment. She pauses and wavers before she is down on the ground, looking paled, and clawing at the earth to get him out. 
 
Once he’s successfully out of the ground, Sasuke figures their time is almost up. He lets it slip that he has to become more powerful to take down someone,

someone

being his elder brother. Sakura stares at him with an unreadable expression and a distant ‘

times up!’

is heard a distance away.
 
The three are each called out on their own shortcomings and their sensei’s disappointment at how they had failed to get a bell. Kakashi had tied Naruto up on one of the wooden poles, while Sasuke and Sakura had each been given a bento lunch box. 
 
Naruto is looking down at their food with longing. Sasuke and Sakura look at each other and wordlessly offer Naruto portions of their food. 
 
“More meat Sakura-chan!”
 
“Dobe! She needs it more than you.” 
 
Sakura thinks on what Sasuke had just said briefly and quickly changes her train of thought before it can go anywhere else. 
 
Regardless, she gives Naruto more of her meat.

POOF

Sasuke jumps in front of Naruto and Sakura in a defensive stance, their sensei coming into view as the smoke dissipates. 
 
“Well done you three.” 
 
The three genin look between themselves in confusion as Kakashi explains the test was to see if they could work together. He in turn informs them of their first mission in a couple days.

—
 
Ino had asked Sakura for help at her family’s flower shop, Sakura had nothing to do the day before her team's first mission so she is happy to help and make some extra pocket change in the process. 
 
Ino unlocks the door to the shop, the bell, positioned much like it was at Sakura’s family bakery,

dings

as Ino tests to make sure it’s unlocked. Sakura immediately feels on edge. The sound of the Yamanaka’s entry bell is slightly higher in pitch than her family’s old one. Sakura hopes the higher pitch will not distract her too much.
 
“Forehead! Did you hear me?”
 
Sakura had been zoning out and her mind feels like it is coming out of a deep pool of water. She thinks she had heard Ino telling her something but she can’t quite remember what.
 
“Sorry what?”
 
“Could you get more parchment paper from the back?” 
 
“Oh yeah, sure thing.” 
 
Sakura is in the back room of the shop retrieving paper when she hears the entry bell

ding

unexpectedly. Sakura jolts from her spot on a stool reaching onto one of the higher shelves. If not for her quick reflexes she would have fallen over. 
 
A couple instances were not going to mess up her day. Sakura could really use the money she would make today to pay for some new weapons. The allowance amount the anbu gave them had not been adjusted over the years. Yet, their own monetary needs

had

grown over the years. It was a good thing they would be starting missions soon to earn extra cash. Sakura knows they are going to have a ton of low paying d-rank missions but she will take any extra money she can get. 
 
Sakura brings out the parchment paper and places it conveniently on the register counter. A customer comes over to the register and Ino demonstrates to Sakura how to ring up a purchase, all is going well until the register dings with the price amount. Sakura clutches onto the bottom of her shirt trying to ground herself. The shop’s surroundings feel all too familiar at that moment, and Sakura feels her breathing begin to quicken. Her brain fires within itself, between keeping it together and falling into a panic attack. 
 
Ino’s voice cuts through and she tries to pay attention as best she can but she feels as though she’s underwater once again. Sounds and voices are muffled and she feels as though she’s viewing things from an outsider perspective rather than as a participant. 
 
“Sakura? Do you want to ring up the next customer?” Ino looks curiously at her. Sakura nods and switches places with Ino as she absently rings up the bouquet purchase. The

ding

of the register sounds again, miraculously she had gotten the process and amount correct, but the pride she feels at doing the job correctly is discredited by her awareness of the various

dings.

This sudden awareness makes her feel weak, she makes a mental note to challenge herself and work through and accept her fear.

—

The rest of the day had gone by fairly quickly. As Sakura walks down Konoha side streets, her coin purse, that little bit heavier, she feels her whole body unclench. She hadn’t realized how uptight she had been all day. It was as if her physical body was trying to protect her internal emotions every time a bell went off. 
 
Sakura stands at the bottom of the steps to her apartment with Sasuke, contemplative for a moment. She had been irked he would even mention her having an issue with such a simple thing as

bells

but after today she regrettably thinks he may be correct in his assumption. 
 
She owes him an apology.
 
Sakura treks the staircase and unlocks the door. Sasuke is pulling out a pot from a cupboard as she enters. 
 
“Get your shoes on, I’m buying us dinner.” 
 
“You know we don’t have the money for it.”
 
Sakura skips over the fact he had said

we.

“I took a shift at the Yamanka flower shop today. My offer ends if you don’t hurry up.” 
 
Sasuke rolls his eyes and shoves the pot back into the cupboard. They lock the door and trek down.
 
“Your choice.”
 
“Why? It’s your money.” 
 
“Consider it an apology. I’m sorry I got upset yesterday. I think you’re right…I may have an issue with bells.” 
 
They hit the bottom of the stairs and Sasuke wordlessly guides them towards a street vendor a few blocks away from their apartment. She notices the cart he chose has a lot of tomato options. Sakura had noticed his

appreciation

for tomatoes over the years, whenever he cooked a meal most times out of not there would be tomato in the dish or as a side. 
 
They both order and eat together on a bench nearby. They eat in a comfortable quiet, suddenly Sasuke gets up, throws away his utensils, and walks off to a different vendor. She finishes her own meal and trashes the rest of her trash, sitting back on the bench to wait for him. 
 
Sasuke comes back into view with a small covered food container. He sits beside her once again and hands her the container.
 
“Apology accepted.”
 
Sakura takes the container and opens it. Inside are two perfect sticks of dango. 
 
She looks at them and then up at Sasuke who’s looking in a different direction.
 
“T-thanks.”
 
“Just eat, so we can go back. I have to finish packing my mission bag.” 
 
Sakura has never tasted a more perfect dango. She’s curious when he figured out it was her favorite dessert. Instead she takes a mental inventory of what all she needs to include in her own mission pack for tomorrow.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sakura has to hold herself back from laughing. They have to get to the bridge to meet the rest of their team but Sasuke chose today to sleep like a rock. Sakura has her pack already on and secured, she tries nudging Sasuke awake. His face is in his mattress and she has never seen his hair so wild. 
 
“Sasuke…

Sasuke

! Wake up!”
 
He turns his head toward her voice and peeks an eye open. Then they open wide with alarm. 
 
“We have to leave soon.” 
 
Sasuke jumps,

jumps

from his bed and grabs a clean set of clothes, his mission pack, and disappears into the bathroom. Sakura walks out to their living area and eats a quick breakfast while she waits for him to finish so they can leave together. She decides to pack him a few spare onigiri they have in the fridge. 
 
Sasuke emerges and he races for the front door, urging her out. She hands him the onigiri as they trek down the creaky staircase. To her surprise he scarfs them down before they make it to their meeting place.
 
—
 
Sasuke’s heart pounds as they encounter a rogue-nin, one who is apparently in the bingo book and feared by many across the villages. This Zabuza is bad news and the three genin circle around Tazuna to protect him. Sasuke begins to shake and sweat, the masked nin with the huge sword is going to kill them. He is going to kill them all and he is going to succeed.

This is it.

His brother had spared him and killed his whole clan for Sasuke to die in the middle of the Land of Fire escorting a bridge builder. 
 
“

Sasuke

!”
 
Kakashi snaps him out of his thoughts and he pays careful attention to what he says next. 
 
“Don’t worry. Even if he gets me, I won’t let him get you.”
 
For some reason Sasuke trusts him and his reassuring words settle his shaky constitution. 
 
His trust wavers only a few minutes later when Kakashi reveals the eye he typically kept covered. His covered eye holds the sharingan, something he hasn’t seen since he had last seen Itachi. 
 
Only to be reassured by Kakashi using up all his chakra to protect team 7 and the bridge builder. 
 
—
 
Their C-rank mission had quickly turned into an A-rank. Team 7 is staying with the bridge builder, Tazuna and his family, in the land of waves. Sakura tends to Kakashi after he had expended too much chakra defending them all from Zabuza. The boys had gone to the market with Tsunami and Inari to get supplies for meals. While she gets a fresh glass of water and a soldier pill from her pouch she can’t help but reflect on how terrifying the past few days had been. Or rather, how terrifying they

should

have been. Right now she sits on the floor beside her passed out sensei and all Sakura feels is…numb. After seeing the intense battle that had transpired today she feels nothing. Maybe she will feel something later, but no fear or intense situation like today affects her like the night she had lost her parents. Blood failed to bother her, screams of pain were just background noise now. 
 
Maybe something was broken within her. 
 
Her sensei’s eyes open into little slits and she sits closer to him.
 
“Need anything Kaka-sensei?”
 
“Water would be nice.”
 
Sakura nods and walks over to the kitchen sink to fill another cup for Kakashi. She looks out the window above the kitchen sink and can see the boys, Inari, and Tsunami walking up the dirt path back to their house. The boys looked like they were having a lively conversation and Sakura finds herself smiling before walking back over to Kakashi and helping him drink from the glass. 
 
Soon the house is filled with boisterous voices. 
 
“Quiet, you two! Kakashi-sensei is trying to rest!” 
 
Sasuke and Naruto immediately change their shouting to hushed insults, setting a bag of groceries each down in the kitchen. 
 
“You three.” Kakashi says loud enough to be heard over the boys bickering. His visible eye is shut and he’s still laid out on his back.
 
The three genin turn and walk over to his bed roll.
 
“We’ll be meeting in the woods after breakfast tomorrow for training.”
 
“Kaka-sensei you shouldn’t be moving too much.” Sakura pleads.
 
“Oh. I won’t be training. You three will be.”
 
The three genin look at each other with concern.
 
—
 
The following morning Team 7 stands in the forested area behind Tazuna’s home watching as their Sensei climbs a tree effortlessly while still holding onto his support crutch. If Sasuke is being honest with himself it looks a little ridiculous, but Kakashi had explained how this would be essential to mastering their chakra control so he had paid acute attention after that.
 
Kakashi gives the three genin a basic instruction of what he is doing but not quite enough information for him to fully grasp how to achieve the same result as Kakashi. As Sasuke begins to focus chakra into the soles of his feet his focus gets completely shot as he observes Sakura sitting on the highest branch of her specific tree. 
 
“Well, now we know which of you three have the better control over their chakra, the young lady!”
 
Sasuke tunes out Naruto’s string of compliments for her and finds himself inwardly admiring Sakura sitting casually up on a high branch in ‘her’ tree. He feels a certain spark of competitiveness and picks up the kunai he had tossed into the grass racing back for the tree. 
 
Sasuke charges harder up his respective tree, only

inching

his way up. Compared to the idiot next to him he is practically moving at the same pace as him and this frustrates Sasuke all the more. 
 
Between Sakura’s easy success and Naruto on his tail Sasuke focuses harder, and moves faster to make it to the top of the tree. After a couple hours and Naruto still just barely behind his notches he sees Naruto go over and talk to Sakura and feels something ugly boil inside the pit of his stomach. He doesn’t have a word or a feeling for it other than it makes him feel

weird

. Shortly after Sakura and Naruto finish talking Kakashi calls them in for dinner after training for the bulk of the day. 
 
Naruto is the first to dash over to Kakashi and into the bridge builder's humble house. Sakura follows tiredly behind the blonde, while Sasuke collects his kunai, glancing up at his highest cut marked on ‘his’ tree’s trunk and vowing to get to the top tomorrow. Sasuke hobbles on his feet, almost tripping and landing flat on his face. He had depleted more of his chakra than he had initially thought. Apparently Sakura is in a similar condition; as he watches her move slowly a few meters ahead of him. She begins to lean to the side about to topple onto the hard grassy earth. 
 
He pushes himself to catch her, grabbing her by one of her wrists before she hits grass. Sakura uses his arm to hoist herself back to standing. 
 
“Sorry, today was tougher on me than I thought.” 
 
Sasuke silently wraps her arm around his neck and she leans against his body to walk inside. A filling meal and a good night’s rest would hopefully heal their weary bodies and replenish their meager chakra. 
 
—

Despite how bone tired Sakura is, a thought keeps her awake as the rest of her team sleeps around her. Naruto is sprawled and snoring and Kakashi breathing lightly, with Sasuke sleeping beside her in his bed roll. She can’t help but think of the expression on Sasuke’s face when he had seen Kakashi’s sharingan. After realizing it was an Uchiha kekkai genkai she can’t help but feel badly for not realizing how much that must have affected him. Perhaps it was like her issue with bells? He had such an indecipherable expression when he had seen it. Would he get the sharingan? Did he already have it? Would he be comfortable sharing that information with her? They were

friends…right

? She’s realizing the more she thinks about it, perhaps they were more than friends? Not in a romantic sense but like a shared bond and roommate sense? 
 
Her train of thought halts when Sakura sits up and clutches her stomach. She had been having stomach pains throughout the day having chalked it up to their intense training. While the exercise had come easy to her, doing it over and over still had expended a lot of her energy. 
 
The pain had gotten better during their dinner but now as she lays in bed the pain has come back with a vengeance. The food Tsunami made, while only humble offerings still provided great rich flavors. Sakura guesses maybe her stomach is not agreeing with the food in the Land of Waves and quietly uncovers herself from her sleeping mat, careful not to wake anyone as she walks down the hall to the bathroom. 
 
She gets the worst timed shock of her life when she sees it was not the food, and not their training that had caused her stomach pains but her first period. 
 
She has no supplies for this particular issue and decides instead to stuff some folded toilet paper into her underwear until she can ask Tsunami tomorrow morning for some proper supplies. Thankfully it was a small amount and had not stained her dress or shorts. After cleaning herself up and washing her hands, Sakura looks in the mirror. Her hair is in disarray,  dark bags under her eyes and her abdomen is cramping painfully again. Before heading back out to her bed roll she feels tears begin to well in her eyes and she can’t help but let them fall freely in the safety of this quiet bathroom in the middle of the night. 
 
In an unfamiliar village Sakura realizes she had just become a woman. A more despairing thought occurs, since the death of her parents it had also been the end of her childhood. She didn’t get to be a kid and now she has to be a woman. What a cruel world this was. 
 
Right as she thinks it can’t get any worse, a light knock is heard on the shut and locked bathroom door. Since it’s not her house she doesn’t want to impose, so she wipes her eyes, collects herself the best she can and opens the door. 
 
Sasuke is standing on the other side and even in the darkness he looks so serious, and tonight, tired. Sakura tries to walk around him and is shocked when she hears him whisper to her.
 
“What's wrong?”
 
“Nothing! Just going back to sleep.”
 
“Bullshit. You haven’t slept all night.” His voice raises just enough to cause her pause. 
 
“Psh! How would you know?” Sakura feels tears begin to invade her tear ducts once again, hoping to end this interaction as soon as possible. She feels bad, for probably keeping Sasuke up, for hogging the bathroom, for being an uncaring friend and most of all for herself. In her mind

she knows

deep down none of these things are true, but she is in a fragile state and needs to sort through these thoughts at a later time. 
 
“...Because

I

haven’t slept all night.” 
 
Tears fall down her face and in the dark she can tell Sasuke has stiffened, possibly unsure of how to handle her tears. Even if he had dealt with her crying before this was still uncomfortable territory for him. 
 
“Come on.” He latches one of his hands onto her wrist and guides her quietly outside. His hand feels clammy and hot against her cool wrist. Sasuke brings her to the front porch of the house and sits on the edge of the high porch, letting his legs dangle over the edge. Sakura follows suit and sits beside him, tucking her legs close to her body and holding onto the outside of her shins. The sound of water below and around them is more soothing than she cares to admit.
 
They sit together in a comfortable quietude for minutes, maybe even an hour. Sakura looks off into the distance and under a glimmer of moonlight she sees a fish jumping out of the water.
 
“Did you see that?!”
 
“See what?”
 
Sakura glances next to her and sees Sasuke, legs still dangling but laying down on his back now with his eyes closed. His voice had sounded so raspy, exhaustion obvious across all his features. 
 
“You should go back inside.” 
 
“I can’t sleep in there.”
 
“You can! You have the past two nights!” 
 
“It’s…it’s easier out here by the…the water.” His phrasing was becoming slurred, as if he was fighting to keep himself awake. 
 
Sakura decides to lay beside him, about a foot away. She looks up to the dark expanse of sky, stars studded above them and the moon shining brightly, gently reflecting off the water. 
 
Sakura watches one star in particular twinkling more than the rest, she wants to point it out to Sasuke. Turning her head, Sasuke’s eyes are closed and his chest is rising and falling steadily. She quietly gets up and decides to pull him up so his legs don’t dangle over the edge of the porch, and silently retreats inside to grab his and her blankets from their bed rolls. When she returns he’s rolled to his side and a few inky strands rest over his forehead. She gently places his blanket over his legs and torso and lays on her back hoping sleep will come to her soon as well. 
 
—
 
Sakura wakes up to the sounds of the water beneath the house hitting the wooden posts holding it up. The sunrise had just started according to where the sun is positioned in the sky. This means she had not gotten more than three or so hours of sleep after her incident last night. She must have rolled onto her side at some point because she has to roll back around to see Sasuke still passed out. He was sleeping fitfully. Sakura waits for a moment before deciding to wake him up when she starts seeing his legs thrashing under his blanket.
 
She sits up and kneels close to him, nudging him lightly. 
 
“Sasuke! Wake up, it's just a dream!” 
 
Sakura moves back when she watches him coming out of his nightmare. Sasuke kicks off the blanket and he sits up grasping at his head and wiping at his face. 
 
“You ok?” Sakura reaches a hand to touch his shoulder, reassuring in a sense.
 
“Fine. Did I wake you?” 
 
“No.” 
 
They sit beside each other and she can hear him heaving, regulating his breath.
 
“Nightmare?” Sakura asks.
 
“...yeah.” 
 
Sasuke pulls his blanket up pooled around his feet and proceeds to fold it up. He stands and rubs sleep away from one of his eyes. 
 
“I’m going for a walk. I’ll be back for breakfast.” He says cooly and walks off the dock towards the nearby forest. 
 
Sakura can’t help but worry as he walks away. She would follow after him but she needs supplies for herself and wants to ask Tsunami with the most privacy she is allowed around all these men. Historically, Tsunami had woken up first the past couple days they had been here, so Sakura hopes she will wake up soon. 
 
She’s not kept waiting long and is able to talk to her before the rest of the house wakes. Sakura gets supplies she so desperately needs and offers to pay Tsunami for what she has given her. Tsunami rejects the money and thanks her for protecting them. 
 
“Do you need any help with anything? Have any questions?” The older woman asks. Sakura feels herself blushing from embarrassment.
 
“No. Thank you.” 
 
—
 
Sasuke walks around the forest, pale sunlight seeping through the crowded tree leaves above him.
 
He’s internally scolding himself for searching her out in the night to sleep. He can’t quite figure out why he had sought Sakura out last night in the first place. They slept in different rooms back in the village but the first mission they have that’s this far from the village, his body seems to be able to tell when she has drifted away from him. He had been on the cusp of sleep when he first noticed her leave her sleeping mat last night. Then he kept tossing and turning until he could take it no longer and sought her out. 
 
For some reason he brought them outside and recalled the sounds of the water beneath them lulling him to sleep. Only to be woken by one of his recurring nightmares of

that

night. Kicking a large trunk of one of the tree’s he’s walking by he sits against it and rubs at his tired eyes. With the position of the sun, he was going to have to head back soon for breakfast.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sakura stands outside the cage of mirrors blindly looking on in horror, only able to listen to the three boys fight. Sakura hates how she can’t do anything to aid them. She hates that somehow she has become the default to hang back while the rest of her team goes into the action. 
 
She’s tired of not being able to defend the ones she loves and cares for. 
 
She can only listen and look on in horror as she stays put and protects the bridge builder, Tazuna.
 
Kakashi ends up fighting against Zabuza again, this time the two are out for blood. 
 
A shout is heard from within the mirrors and then she senses something, she can’t quite pick out what the feeling is but it feels like a very negative energy emanating from within the mirrors. Her stomach flips but she’s pulled back to the present to protect Tazuna from any flying shrapnel from the two fights going on in before them. 
 
Sakura does her duty like the loyal budding kunoichi she is, all the while in the back of her mind there is a nagging.

You’re better than this.

You should be in there with the boys.

You need to protect the ones you love so you never have to lose them…again.

Sakura wards off flying shrapnel with a kunai and keeps Tazuna protected. Suddenly the mirror prison breaks and the scene ahead of her becomes visible. Mindlessly, Sakura grasps Tazuna’s wrist and urges him to follow her so she can check on her two teammates.
 
Sakura halts her steps when she sees Naruto’s expression and studies his body language. He’s slumped and has never looked so out of character. Over the course of the week that they have been on this mission she has spent hours, and days on end with both boys and their sensei, she thinks she’s gotten a better read of all of their emotions and tells.
 
Sakura steps closer to get a better inspection of the scene. She forgets for a heartbeat that she has a mission and that is to protect Tazuna. She back steps and holds her hand out, urging him to walk with her towards her teammates. From her position and the mist she can’t quite make out Sasuke.
 
As she nears her walking feet shift to a run, Tazuna’s grip slows her down, but she holds tight. 
 
Naruto comes into better view, and she notices tears streaming down his face– then she sees Sasuke and her heart drops. 
 
His customary blue shirt is bloodied and his body lays lifeless on the ground. 
 
She’s stopped running, coming to an abrupt halt. Tazuna tugs on her arm from the loss of momentum. Mindlessly she clenches his hand and he releases her hold on him. Sakura steps tentatively forward and falls to her knees. 
 
She can feel Tazuna’s gaze as she kneels over her…she isn’t sure what to label Sasuke.

Her roommate? Teammate? Friend? Family?

They had been together for years now, assigned in a sense to each other and now, once again she is alone. 
 
She looks back to Tazuna and bites her bottom lip until she tastes blood and her whole body trembles.

This can’t be it.

Maybe I’m not cut out for this.

Droplets hit the red of her dress and she wipes at one of her eyes with the back of her hand. 
 
Tazuna nods towards Sasuke, giving her silent permission. She accepts gratefully. 
 
Uncaring of ninja code, unbothered about breaking a major rule to not show emotion, tears stream down her face. Sakura supports Sasuke’s clammy neck and lifts it into her lap. She is careful of the senbon protruding from various spots on his body. There is no movement from him, no fidgeting, no shallow breaths, nothing.

‘How could you?

’ Sakura whispers, more to herself than to anyone else.
 
Her whole body shakes and she silently cries over the loss of Sasuke. A few muted gasps and sniffles escape her as she kneels, holding her fallen teammate. 
 
“

Sakura

.”
 
She is

certain

she did not just hear him.
 
“Sakura–your snot is dripping on me.”
 
She looks down to her lap after wiping away stray tears. Sasuke’s eyes are open and he’s looking up at her. His chest is rising and falling, alive as ever.
 
Her arms move before she can process. Her body bends forward and embraces him around the neck, a senbon pokes her arm. She separates briefly and removes the protruding weapon and tosses it to a far off area of the battle field, then latches back onto him. Blood spurts from where she’s yanked the senbon out of his neck. 
 
“Ow.” He says weakly from below her.
 
“Sorry!”
 
–
 
Sakura has Sasuke hoisted and supported against her body as they watch with somber attention where Haku and Zabuza lie together, lifeless on the bridge. Naruto and Kakashi stand a few paces away from where Sakura and Sasuke stand. The four stand and respectfully watch as the two are tended to and removed from the bridge. Sakura watches from behind Naruto as he sniffles and cries, wiping his eyes with one of his orange jumpsuit sleeves. 
 
Kakashi finally nods and guides his troop of genin back to Tazuna’s residence. Sasuke weighs heavily on her body and Kakashi states they need to tend to him before the senbon injuries can become infected. Kakashi helps Sasuke detach from Sakura and aids him the rest of the way. 
 
Sakura, without the extra weight, runs ahead to get the medical supplies prepared to help treat Sasuke. Tsunami is in the house when Sakura bolts to her sleeping mat and collects her medical pouch. It’s small and fits C-D class genin mission medical gear. Hopefully Kakashi has better supplies in his pack. She makes a mental note to add better medical items, as well as feminine care products when they return back to Konoha. Sakura still musters up enough products to take immediate care of Sasuke’s injuries. 
 
Sakura kneels beside his bedroll ready for Kakashi to lay him on the mat.
 
The three men in her squad trudge in, battle worn. Kakashi brings Sasuke over to her.
 
“I’m going to sit him up. We will need to remove the senbon on his back and neck before we can lay him down comfortably.”
 
Sakura nods and Kakashi helps Sasuke into a seated position. Up close, without tears distorting her vision she can really analyze the horrors of his injuries. He has to be in a lot of pain.
 
Sakura, like every genin, has had to learn about the basic anatomy of the body. Where major blood vessels lie, pressure points, and best areas for attack for the different shinobi weapons. As she’s studying the senbon poking out of Sasuke she realizes Haku managed to not hit any vital points. He's damned close in a few spots but overall Sasuke will live as long as none of the wounds become infected. She’s curious if that had been intentional on Haku’s part.
 
“Sasuke? Are you doing alright?” Kakashi asks a wobbling Sasuke. Both Naruto and Sasuke are a little out of it. Sasuke moreso, but the strangest part of it all is that Naruto’s injuries seem to have healed? Or maybe she missed something and Kakashi or a medic healed Naruto? She’s not sure, but it seems unlikely someone had the time to treat him in that timeframe.
 
“Hmm.” Sasuke grunts. Kakashi looks at her with a questioning glance.

What does that mean?

“Let’s get started.” Sakura assures. She gathers alcohol and fresh cotton pads to clean his injuries. 
 
“Do you want something to bite down on or will you be ok?”
 
“Mmmnnmmm.” Sasuke groans. Sakura understands this to mean no, he will be fine.
 
“I’m going to sit down.” Naruto mumbles out as Kakashi and her begin removing the ninja tools from Sasuke’s back. He was looking a little queasy at the sight of Sasuke, or maybe it was something else. Either way she’s able to focus a bit better with less distractions.
 
Thankfully there are less on his back than on his front, so he can lay down sooner. They remove four from his back and finally the ones protruding out of the back of his neck. She pushes aside some of his dark hair so they are able to disinfect and remove the two on his neck.

When did his hair get so long?

Sakura snaps herself out of the train of thought and back to the task at hand. 
 
Kakashi helps lower Sasuke onto his back once they’ve got his back and neck disinfected and bandaged. She watches his eyes shut and his teeth grit as they continue to remove the rest.
 
“Have you ever studied medical ninjutsu?” Kakashi asks when they are nearly done.
 
“Me?” Sakura asks, focusing on pouring alcohol onto a cotton pad. 
 
“You’re the only one coherent right now. So yes, you.”
 
“No. I have not.”
 
“It might be something to consider.” Kakashi suggests to her. From the way he’s worded it, it almost feels like a compliment.
 
They finish mending Sasuke and dispose of the bloodied cotton pads, Kakashi seals away the senbon to examine back in the village. Sasuke and Naruto are both asleep before the sun has even set for the day. 
 
“You should rest too.”
 
“I’m going to sit on the dock. Then I’ll rest.” Adrenaline is still pumping in her veins from the day and she needs a moment to herself to calm down. She almost lost one of the only people she has left in this world today, there was no way sleep would be coming easily for her tonight.
 
—
 
Sakura is not sure how many hours she’s been sitting out on Tazuna’s dock. She watched as the fog cleared, followed by the sun coming out briefly and reflecting brightly off the water as it faded away making way for a waning moon. Kakashi at some point brought her out a bowl of dinner, which she left to get cold.
 
Her eyelids droop heavily, but her heart feels heavier.
 
At what point had she let this boy enter her heart? Why did she have to get close to him? How could she have allowed herself to be so weak?
 
Sakura dips one of her sandaled feet into the water below watching the way the water ripples. The water is calm tonight. Probably the most calm it's been the whole time they’ve been here. 
 
Her mind swirls with ways to build up her walls to protect herself from growing more attached. All the ‘solutions’ seem to fall short, because no matter what she may do, she’s always going to feel some sort of tether to Sasuke. Maybe it was because of their circumstances living together. Or taking care of each other as they have been growing up, but for some reason imagining her life without him is unbearable.
 
While all this thinking over her bond with Sasuke in her life has her curious: does he feel the same? Does he value their friendship like she does? 
 
Sighing out loud she kicks at the water. 
 
“Sakura-chan?”

Naruto.

“Naruto? You should be resting.” Sakura chastises, watching him walk over to her rubbing at one of his eyes. 
 
“Me? There are bags under your bags!” Naruto points at her face.
 
“Naruto! You can’t say that to someone!” She exclaims,

he’s right but it's still rude!

Naruto sits down on the dock beside her. 
 
“...you doing ok?” She asks tentatively. She’s noticed how shaken up Naruto was after the scene today.
 
“Not really.” He admits, his usual cheery facade cracks for a moment. “Are you?” 
 
“No. But I will be.” Sakura forces a small smile to her face, wanting to provide some type of reassurance after all the fighting her three squadmates have been through today.
 
It’s in this moment as she’s talking to Naruto that she realizes she never wants to be on the sidelines again. If she wants to keep the bonds she has and whatever bonds she makes in the future she wants to live in a world where she has the abilities to

protect

who and what she holds dear. Sakura wants to grow stronger and she has the mental fortitude and

apparently

the chakra control to do so. 
 
Peering up into the night sky they find a multitude of stars shining above. 
 
The despair she was feeling just moments ago is replaced by a seedling of hope. She’s alive. Sasuke is alive. Her team is alive. She

will

grow stronger to protect them all. 
 
“Are you going to eat that?” Naruto looks at the bowl of cold food that she’s left untouched. 
 
“All yours.”
 
The sounds of food utensils fills the silence as Naruto scarfs the food down. Sakura hasn’t really gotten the chance to get to know Naruto. She’s aware of his affections for her but she had previously misjudged him. He might be childish and annoying at times but he’s just as honest and hardworking. She’d like to think she knows Sasuke pretty well at this point in time, so she decides to get to know Naruto. After all, from today on she intends to be fighting side by side with him instead of behind his back.
 
“I’ve noticed you like ramen. What’s your favorite topping?” Sakura asks. To her surprise he grins and goes into a seemingly never ending spiel on ramen toppings and what pairs best with which broth and so on.
 
“What’s your favorite food?” Naruto asks, setting the now empty bowl to his side. 
 
“Anmitsu.

Well

…really anything sweet.” 
 
She finds Naruto easy to talk to. They talk for a while before her body becomes too heavy for her to continue to support.
 
—
 
Days pass and team seven is deemed fit for travel again, at least that’s what Kakashi thinks. Sakura is against it, Sasuke’s wounds haven’t healed enough and they have still been training tirelessly on their chakra control. But she keeps quiet and trudges on the path back towards the village. She’s more eager than she would care to admit to rest in her own bed. 
 
It doesn’t escape Sakura as Sasuke fidgets from some of his wounds that are covered in day's old bandages. Kakashi promised the group would be back in the village before his bandages would become completely

unusable.

She steps in time with Sasuke who is a few paces ahead of her as they traverse the last few miles to the village.
 
She debates questioning his condition. They’ve been kind of avoiding each other after the mission. She’s still unsure how to label her bond with him. Ultimately her worry gets the better of her. 
 
“You ok?” Sakura whispers beside him, knowing he still probably wants to appear ‘all hard edges’ in front of Kakashi and Naruto. At least for a little longer. She knows he’s not though, and that’s one of the things she admires most about him.
 
“Fine.”

Seems he’s still being curt.

She steps ahead of him, choosing not to engage with his weird mood. After a couple minutes she’s surprised when she hears him jog behind her and he grabs onto her wrist. Kakashi and Naruto are still farther ahead, pretty deep in conversation from what it looks like.
 
“...sorry.”
 
“It’s ok…but if you snap at me again I’m not helping you apply new bandages when we get back.”
 
Sasuke looks like he’s going to say something with more bite than not but instead he must choose to bite his tongue and continues to walk beside her in a companionable quiet. 
 
–
 
Upon arrival at the village gates their sensei says a quick, “Good work you three,” before flickering away. 
 
“You guys want to grab some food?” Naruto asks earnestly.
 
“Needs to be to-go. I want to clean up.” Sasuke answers.
 
“For real?” Naruto asks again, apparently surprised.
 
“Don’t make me change my mind.” Sasuke barks back.
 
“Let’s go to the food stalls by the academy!” Sakura adds, figuring they all have different tastes and the stalls would provide options.
 
When the three get their food and meet back in the middle to find a spot to sit and eat they realize it’s too busy to find a spot. 
 
“Let's go back to our place.” To Sakura’s utter shock

Sasuke

suggests.
 
Sakura shoots him a questioning glance.

Are you sure?

“Weren’t you the one who said we can’t hide forever?” He tosses back, shoving his free hand that’s not carrying his food into one of his pant pockets. 
 
“Hide what?” Naruto butts in looking between his two teammates.
 
“Let’s go.” Sasuke turns on his heel towards their apartment.

“We…live together.” She admits and for some reason telling just one person after years of only anbu and the hokage knowing is such a profound

relief.

“

Huh?”

—
 
After the initial shock followed by inspecting nearly every inch of their shared apartment Naruto deems they are in fact not lying. 
 
The three are seated around their small dining table, Naruto pulls a spare chair up that they had folded away in some corner. It’s strange having three people around the table tonight, a first for them here. Naruto doesn’t ask any more questions after looking through their apartment. She figures he has to have some questions but maybe he’s nervous to ask them. She would be nervous if she was the outsider looking in. The three eat together comfortably and they all look a little worse for wear after their mission gone awry and exhaustion seeps into their very bones.

Naruto yawns loudly and throws his food away in the wastebasket Sasuke has advised him of multiple times throughout the meal.  
 
“I’ll see you guys tomorrow? Err…maybe in a few days? I’m not sure anymore. This was fun! Bye!” Naruto leaves sluggishly through their door and she moves to lock it and make sure their security system is ready to be set when they eventually go to sleep for the night.
 
“Seems you’ve made a friend.” Sakura says with a smile across her face.
 
“Whatever.” Sasuke replies grumpily.
 
“Go wash up and I’ll help you change those bandages.” 
 
“You can go first. I have to sort through my mission pack.” Sasuke answers, and she’s secretly grateful. She feels gross, sweat is sticking to her body and she’s sure she smells after their day of travel. 
 
–
 
Later Sakura sits on the couch in front of their shoddy TV and brushes her hair. She sets out the clean bandages on the side table next to their couch. They had extra medical supplies tucked away in their bathroom. Sasuke finally walks out of the bathroom in his sleep attire. From their balcony darkness has started permeating into their house so she turns on the lamp that sits atop the same side table.
 
“Sit!” 
 
“Why are you being so pushy about this?” Sasuke asks.
 
“Because you almost died in front of me and I personally don’t ever wish to see that happen again. Now stop being stubborn and get over here.”
 
His body goes rigid when he sits beside her. She guesses he was not prepared for her honesty. Sakura starts tending to the wounds on his neck, cleaning and re-bandaging them. In a few days they should be healed enough he won’t need the bandages anymore. 
 
“Lift.” Sakura commands him to lift his sleep shirt so she can get the ones on his stomach and back. For some reason as she tends to him she finds herself biting the inside of her cheek to keep from crying. She might have played it off that him possibly dying was no big deal but if he was gone…

well

. She buries that thought, already having sorted through these emotions back in the land of waves, or so she had thought. 
 
“...you almost died.” Sakura whispers before she realizes she’s said it aloud. His spine straightens and he lowers his shirt back down, she’s finished bandaging him up.

Damnit!

A stray tear streaks down her cheek and lands in her lap.

Damnit! Damnit!

Her fists clench tightly to try and stop the flow of tears from falling. 
 
Sasuke sits up from his place on the couch.
 
“Hit me.” 
 
Sakura sniffles,

“what?

”
 
“You look like you want to hit something. So hit me. If you tried to die on me I would want to hit you too.” Sasuke says calmly.
 
She hates that she considers his offer for a brief second.
 
“No, I’m not going to hit you.” Sakura wipes at her eyes and slouches into the couch. Closing herself off, but not before she makes a dig at him. “Besides it wouldn’t be fair, you’re still injured.” 
 
The air around them feels different after their first

real

mission. They’ve seen death, looked it right in the eyes and still came back. Too tired to do much else that night they melt into the couch as they mindlessly watch what’s on TV. 
 
They fall asleep, Sasuke at some point had leaned over, his head resting on her shoulder where she wakes hours later to him thrashing violently against her.

A nightmare.