Chapter Text
He could feel her approaching as she walked down the cobbled street. The moon was calmly climbing into the sky, while the stars flickered quietly above. Merchants had long since gathered their stock—mellow fruits from the nearby lands and fish from the clear rivers surrounding the Village Hidden in the Leaves. A few voices drifted from the bar down the alley, laughter and clinking cups, but the neighbourhood itself was mostly still. Most villagers were already home, sinking into the rest they had earned after a long day.
Sakura halted at the front door and reached to unlock it with the keys in her tired hand. An unfortunate incident had brought many young shinobi to the hospital today, urging the pink-haired kunoichi to leave her office as the Head of the Medical Department and lend a hand to her colleagues in the surgery rooms. She thought she saw a faint light behind the sheer curtains of her living room, but that was not possible. He had left just a week ago.
She wondered if she was really sensing his presence… or if she was simply tired and hopeful after not seeing him for such a long time.
“Sasuke-kun?”
Sakura called out quietly as she placed her bag by the entrance and bent down to take off her shoes. Her feet were swollen from spending the entire day standing over operating tables. Her hand reached instinctively to her neck, stiff from carrying the responsibility of saving the up-and-coming shinobi of the village.
Foolish children. They had been attempting some kind of forbidden jutsu just outside the village, not on the training grounds and without the supervision of their superiors. Had they taken precautions and listened to the more reasonable ones in their group, the medics would not have needed to descend into chaos in the hospital today. Sakura had been thinking exactly that as she left the hospital fifteen minutes ago.
A faint lavender scent reached her senses. Someone had recently brewed tea in the kitchen. Her preferred tea.
“Sasuke-kun… is that you?”
Sakura asked again, wondering if she was only imagining his presence or truly sensing his chakra with her now exhausted senses. After travelling the world for two years to atone for the sins he had committed before the Fourth Great Ninja War, Sasuke had finally come back. And it surprised no one that he came back to her. Or did he really?
The young woman had generously offered the lone Uchiha survivor a place to stay whenever he returned to the village between his long missions. The founding clan’s district had been wiped out after the Pain attack years ago, and his apartment from their genin days had been rebuilt as part of a larger complex, already sold off to families.
“Sakura. You’re home.”
Tall, silent, composed. A man shaped by pain, absence, and the world beyond Konoha. His presence was heavy, commanding. The voice, calm and even, sent a shiver down her spine. He didn’t move closer. He waited. Always observing.
She had long ago realised a man could not change so easily. The boy who had seen his family slaughtered countless times had borne his trauma alone. She had helped him navigate the world afterwards, formed some kind of bond with him, but he had never truly let anyone in completely. Not even her. Not even Naruto.
Sasuke had always had the instinct to protect her back when they were genin. She was the girl who made his days brighter after the Uchiha massacre. Always running to his aid, wanting to spend time with him… sometimes a little too annoying for his liking. Years later, after he had left the village, he had tried to kill her. He had fallen so low then—blinded by vengeance and determined to sever every connection with the people who cared about him. His true feelings had been buried deep beneath the darkness.
Now, even after years, the same old pull remained — familiar, maddening, unclaimed. But he was thankful. He showed it in his own way. Small gestures, lingering touches, kisses. This relationship was confusing her, yet she kept being patient. That was the kind and loyal girl she was. She could feel he wanted more. And that's why she kept reaching out and answering.
“So you’re back. How was your mission? I hope everything went smoothly.”
He said nothing at first, merely observing her. Sakura stepped toward the clothing rack, hanging her white medical coat while her eyes wandered toward the man’s silhouette leaning against the archway. The faint light behind him illuminated his back and broad shoulders, making it difficult for Sakura to see his face clearly.
“Aa. It was fine.”
It was pointless to ask for more. He would not share the details of his recent mission. Sasuke took a step forward, his strong, lean body towering over her smaller figure. Sakura had to tilt her head slightly to meet his eyes.
His hand reached for hers. A quiet breath escaped her lips. His presence had always overwhelmed her. To think that she had loved him for so many years—patiently waiting, forming a relationship with him—and still sometimes felt like the small girl seeing her crush at the Academy.
Her free hand gently removed the few strands of dark hair covering his right eye. His mismatched eyes, so often a sign of danger, were soft tonight. A glimpse of warmth flickered within them as her slender fingers tucked the loose strand behind his ear.
When Sasuke was back in the village, he stayed around to share tea, to sit in her apartment, to read her books. He even placed his own books, which he had brought from his travels, on her shelves. But it was never enough to bridge the distance between them completely. A kiss here, a touch there — yet intimacy remained unclaimed, tantalisingly out of reach. Sleeping in the same bed, but never fully consuming their mutual feelings.
He lifted her hand and pressed a soft kiss against the inside of her palm. His pale fingers closed around hers a little too possessively.
Another kiss followed.
Then another.
Trailing slowly down her arm.
“I made you some tea,” he said quietly, his gaze fixed on her emerald eyes. “You look tired.”
As he continued, Sakura lifted her other hand and cupped his cheek carefully.
“Thank you. Yes, we had a hard day at the hospital today.”
Sakura closed her eyes as a gentle smile formed on her lips from his unexpected gesture.
“A few troublesome kids nearly killed themselves trying some forbidden jutsu. I suppose I’ve spent so much time dealing with administrative work and higher-ranking responsibilities that I’m no longer used to standing through an entire day of surgeries.” She sighed quietly. “I haven’t had the chance to perform many operations these past months since Lady Tsunade stepped down.”
“Come,” Sasuke said softly. He led Sakura to the too-comfortable-looking green couch in her living room.
She noticed the fireplace was lit as she eased herself onto the soft furniture. The warmth spread gently through the room. She made a mental note to water the dozen plants scattered around the apartment. Their leaves looked a little tired and thirsty—much like she felt herself.
“I think Kakashi will send us both on a mission,” Sasuke said after returning with their tea.
“Both of us? On a mission?” Sakura looked puzzled. “Do you think this has something to do with today’s incident with the young genin?”
Curiosity quickly replaced the exhaustion on her face. The comfortable position she had taken only a moment ago—lying across the couch with her feet propped up on the other end of the two-seater—vanished as her body tensed with interest.
“Aa. I overheard something when I went back to the Hokage’s office to report on my latest mission.”
Sasuke poured the hot tea into the two cups he had prepared on the wooden table before them. Leaving the kettle on its coaster with his single hand, he sat down on the floor across from her. Steam rose slowly between them. His long legs crossed comfortably in front of him.
“What did you hear?” Sakura urged, leaning forward slightly. She took her tea and immediately sipped from it—far too quickly. The heat burned her tongue. Her usual patience was gone now. “I saw some people from the Intel Division when I was leaving after the last surgery,” she continued before he could respond. “Maybe Ino will be involved as well. She’ll probably interrogate them tonight.” Her closest friend since childhood, now head of the Yamanaka clan, had inherited the powerful jutsu, allowing her to dive into the minds of others to gather information.
“This jutsu the kids were performing,” Sasuke began, “the shinobi who found them had never seen anything like it before. Neither had Shikamaru or Kakashi. They believe it might have come from some old war scroll… or possibly from new black-market ninja tools.” Sasuke was speaking a lot more than he usually does. He took a quiet sip from his tea, his dark eye resting on her while loose strands of hair once again fell across his Rinnegan. “What did you see when you were healing them today?”
He stood up and placed his cup back on the table before moving behind her, near the armrest of the sofa. His hand brushed aside Sakura’s pink hair, now reaching her shoulder blades, before he began kneading the tight muscles of her shoulders slowly.
“Ah—” Sakura’s brows furrowed at the sudden pressure, but the discomfort quickly gave way to relief. Was he showing her more affection than the last time he was here?
“After examining them, I noticed their chakra networks had become destabilised,” she said quietly. “Some of the kids who suffered the worst injuries had burned parts of their chakra pathways.” Her head lowered slightly as she spoke, her gaze resting on the teacup in her lap. “There was permanent damage to their networks. As much as I tried… I couldn’t heal everything.”
For a brief moment, her thoughts drifted toward darker memories she had tried so hard to bury. The war. Thousands of shinobi, their blood covering her hands. She could not save them all.
“Their chakra coils had expanded beyond their natural limits,” she continued. “If they hadn’t passed out and stopped the jutsu when they did, they might have destroyed their entire chakra network.” She paused thoughtfully. “I believe the jutsu forces unstable chakra flow through the body, causing a temporary burst of strength… followed by collapse.”
She turned her head toward him as he continued massaging her shoulders. Kind green eyes met deep onyx.
“You must be tired too, Sasuke-kun. Have you had dinner? It’s gotten quite late.” She placed her hand gently over his, signalling for him to stop. “I’ll be fine soon. I just need some rest to replenish my chakra. Thank you!”
“I had ramen with Naruto just before coming home.”
Home. Did he refer to her apartment? Or to her? Sakura lowered her gaze to her tea, hiding the small smile forming on her lips.
“Have you?” he asked quietly.
“I had some food at the hospital not long ago,” she replied. “I’m not hungry.” She turned slightly toward him, scooting a little to the side to make space for him on the couch. “But why do you think Kakashi-sensei would send both of us?”
“This forbidden jutsu,” Sasuke said, accepting the invitation and sitting beside her, “they believe it artificially amplifies the user’s chakra—just like you described.” He paused briefly, leaning comfortably in the cushions. “The pattern reminds me of the Cursed Seal Orochimaru gave me.”
“So those kids might have wanted to use it to increase their power?” Sakura asked quietly.
Unpleasant thoughts crept into her mind. Orochimaru’s pale face. Snake-like features. One of the three legendary Sannin—a man of immense power who had turned completely toward darkness. Countless unethical experiments on human beings filled the records bearing his name. Sasuke’s former master had pursued immortality and sought to learn every jutsu that existed in the shinobi world—whether forbidden or not.
“Aa. It’s a dangerous temptation for young shinobi,” Sasuke said. “They probably believe it’s a shortcut to strength.” His gaze drifted momentarily, pulled back to distant memories. “But they don’t understand that this kind of power comes at the cost of the body.” His thoughts briefly returned to the Chunin Exams. The cursed mark was spreading across his skin. Sakura’s trembling body was lying injured beside him. The moment he had torn apart the arms of the shinobi who admitted to harming her.
“Power that is forced into the body always demands a price,” Sakura said softly.
“That’s why Kakashi will likely ask me to investigate. And I think he’ll ask you to accompany me because of your medical expertise.”
It was true. Sakura was the best medical-nin to investigate this.
After finishing her tea, she stood and carried their cups to the sink. “Thanks for the tea. I’m going to take a shower now… or would you prefer to go first?”
Sasuke was still in his travel clothes. Black pants and shirt, his dark cloak neatly folded over the armchair.
“We can simply shower together, Sakura,” he said, rising and heading toward the bathroom.
Sakura blinked. Her cheeks flamed. She thought she saw a smirk curl at the corner of his lips. Did he really say that… or was it just a tease? Had something shifted while he was gone? She felt his chakra, just a fraction warmer than before.