Acceptance

The pink haired girl woke to the obnoxious sound of her alarm. Begrudgingly, she reached over to silence it before rolling slowly out of bed. She didn't like mornings. Everything was muddled in her mind as she tried to wake up and start the day. Nonetheless, it was necessary. Sakura headed for the bathroom for a shower and went through her usual daily routine. After finishing, she came out to the kitchen to make a simple breakfast of eggs and toast with her coffee. As she sat in the small dining area and looked around at her living room, Sakura suddenly sprang out of her seat. She had totally forgotten until she was more awake, but Sasuke stayed with her last night. Glancing around and not seeing him, her heart sank a little. She had hoped to have breakfast together at least. Spotting the note on top of the folded sheets, she picked it up and smiled at the short note written in Sasuke's handwriting.

"Woke up early. See you later today. Thanks."

At least he left a note instead of just leaving, even if he could have given a few more details. Finishing up her breakfast, Sakura grabbed her keys and left the apartment, ready for another day at the hospital.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

They hadn't set up a specific time to meet, so Sasuke decided first thing would work. He also decided that he didn't want to deal with whoever was in the building on his way to the Hokage, so he jumped up to a window of the office, opened it, and stepped inside. His sensei was not surprised, but he looked over his shoulder with a bemused expression.

"You know, I get that your social skills aren't exactly top par, but you should at least use a door."

"This is faster and has fewer people."

Laughing, Kakashi let it slide, and returned to facing forward at his desk so his student had no choice but to walk around and talk to him normally. The two watched each other for a minute in silence.

"…So, what exactly are we supposed to do in these meetings?" Sasuke broke the silence.

"That's a good question. I've never been in charge of rehabilitating someone, and since you were just released yesterday, you can't have done much since then. Ok, why don't you fill me in on what you have done since leaving the courthouse?"

"Had lunch with Sakura and Naruto. Went to the training grounds. Found a place to sleep."

"Oh? Where did you sleep? Your old apartment was destroyed years ago."

"I stayed with Sakura."

Kakashi's eyes shone with something that made Sasuke want to leave right that second. He could tell he was either going to be questioned further or teased, or quite possibly both. Keeping his face a blank mask, Sasuke waited, but Kakashi seemed to want him to explain first.

Sighing, Sasuke elaborated, "I was going to sleep in one of the training fields, but she followed me. She wouldn't let me sleep outside, so I stayed on her couch."

"Hm. Sounds cozy."

Sasuke had had enough and turned to leave with just a few parting words, "Anyway, that's what I've done. See you next week."

"Alright, alright. Look, I'm glad if the two of you are getting along. Just be careful. She's been through enough. More than you know. Don't hurt her again."

Sasuke put his hand on the doorknob and turned it. "I know," he said quietly before swiftly leaving the room.