Closer

His morning had been uneventful. After meeting with Kakashi, Sasuke set out to buy some new clothes. He was never going to wear those horrible orange things again. He got just enough that all his items would fit inside his pack. It wasn't like he was going to live with Sakura long term, and he didn't plan on having her clear out a drawer for him or something.

After a light lunch, he spent the afternoon at the training grounds, trying to find his center of gravity again now that he only had one arm. Thankfully, he had always used his right arm for his katana, but his movements had to be adjusted so he wouldn't just fall over. It was frustrating to have to relearn even basic techniques he perfected as a child. As the afternoon passed, he began to wonder when Sakura would get off work. They hadn't discussed any details, and his note had left a lot of room for interpretation. Thinking over his next moves, he began walking back into the village toward the hospital.

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Sakura stood from her desk and stretched her arms above her head. It was a busy day, but most days were. She had looked forward to getting off work all day. She loved her job, but the idea of getting to be with Sasuke and maybe getting a little closer to him was too exciting. Sakura had conveniently forgotten to tell Ino about Sasuke staying at her apartment. The blonde would take it way out of context and get too invested.

As she walked down the hallway toward the doors, she wondered what she should do now. Should she just go home? Should she try to find Sasuke? Was that being too clingy and annoying? He might want some more time to himself or might want to hang out with Naruto or something. When she reached the doors, she had decided to go home and see how things played out. She'd go about her normal routine, and when Sasuke came back, that was fine.

What she didn't expect was to see the Uchiha leaning against the wall outside the doors. He looked at her when she came out and straightened up, waiting for her.

"Sasuke? I didn't know you were here. Do you need something?"

"I was waiting for you to be done with work."

"Oh… wait, how long have you been here?"

"Not long. Don't worry about it. Should we go get some take out for dinner?"

Surprised, Sakura simply nodded her head and followed the young man when he started off down the road. Her slight shock wore off, and she walked happily beside him down the busy street.

"What do you want to get, Sasuke?"

"You pick."

"Ok, how about over there? They have really good desserts!"

"Sure."

Sakura led the way over to one of her favorite spots. She ordered her food and turned to Sasuke so he could do the same. When their orders came out, she began fishing for some money, but Sasuke had already put the payment down on the counter, picked up the take-out bag, and turned to leave. Rushing to give her thanks to the waiter, Sakura jogged after him.

"You didn't have to pay, you know," she said, feeling a bit awkward bringing it up. Why had he paid anyway?

"It's fine. I'm staying at your place for free anyway."

Oh, so that was why. With that, she couldn't even pretend in her mind that this was a sort of date. Giving up that thought, she walked by his side until they reached her apartment. Opening the door, she went to the kitchen to get plates and utensils.

The two sat at the table and began eating their dinners. Sakura expected him to keep quiet until she broke the silence, but she was surprised when she heard his voice.

"How was work?"

"Uh… oh, it was good! I'm making some progress with the children's hospital, and I got to visit the patients there today. So many kids were affected by the war, and a lot don't have parents or a family to return to. I don't want to see any other children have to grow up all…" Sakura stopped suddenly, worried she had stepped too far into Sasuke's personal life.

"All alone."

Looking up, she studied the Uchiha's face as he calmly took another bite of food. He didn't seem perturbed, but she couldn't see his eyes well. Maybe he is ok with it after all.

"That's good," Sasuke continued as he looked up. "If you look out for them, they will grow up knowing love and happiness."

Sakura blinked once and looked down at her plate as her cheeks reddened slightly. He not only didn't mind, but he thought it was a good idea. She felt a bit of pride in knowing that he approved of her mission.

Wanting attention off her, Sakura asked, "So what did you do today?"

"Met with Kakashi, trained a bit, and went to get you."

"Oh, that's good…" Sakura wanted to ask more, but she didn't want to be too pushy. Sasuke wasn't exactly forthcoming in his answers, and he left most details to the imagination. After a few moments of silence, she heard him speak again.

"It's odd to get used to fighting with one arm. My balance is off, and I my sword seems to long."

"I guess that's to be expected. You learned how to do everything with two arms, and now your center of balance is skewed. Actually, now that I think about it, it's pretty amazing that you can walk normally without having to retrain muscles a bit."

"It got easier in prison. I had a lot of free time to walk up and down my cell. Before that, I basically forced my muscles to do what they needed to keep me upright."

"So you're saying you used mind over matter to make yourself be able to walk after losing a limb?? That is so like you!" Sakura was caught in a wave of giggles just thinking about what went through his mind. When she calmed down and looked up again, Sasuke was watching her with a gentle expression. He didn't smile necessarily, but his eyes reflected joy.

The rest of the night passed without much happening. They finished their dinners, and as was her routine, Sakura sat on the couch to read for a bit. Sasuke looked around at her bookshelves and picked out a book that seemed interesting to him. He sat on the other side of the couch comfortably for a while.

She wasn't sure how long it was, but suddenly she felt her book being taken out of her hands and her hair moved from her face with a gentle touch. Someone had begun to prop up her knees when she snapped herself awake and jumped to her feet. With wide eyes, she found the person responsible for the actions, and now that she was more conscious, she realized of course it was her temporary roommate.

"Sorry. You had been asleep for twenty minutes, and I thought you'd hurt your neck in that position. I didn't mean to scare you." Sasuke's voice was quiet, as if he was afraid that he had overstepped his bounds by coming too close.

"No. No, it's fine. Thanks. I just wasn't expecting that." Sakura muttered out. "I suppose I should head to bed then. Sleep well!"

With that, she walked to her room briskly and closed the door softly. Darn it, I should have waited to see what he was going to do. Was he going to carry me to bed? Why else would he move my legs?

Outside the door, she heard Sasuke get ready for bed before seeing the light in the living room turn off. Sakura knew she had been a bit too closed off to Sasuke, but what was she supposed to do? Nobody expect her parents had ever carried her to bed, and that was when she was a kid. Sasuke was guarded enough without her getting jumpy. She'd just have to find ways to let him get closer if he wanted that.

Letting tiredness catch up with her, Sakura curled up under her blankets and snuggled into her pillow. There was still plenty of time to get to know this version of Sasuke.