A/N: Thanks again for all your great feedback, guys! Special shout-out to micsternarutolover1224 who wrote her longest positive fanfiction review for my story. Thank you so much, your review made my day! Some of you wanted to see more from Sasuke's side, please look at the announcement at the end of this fic for more on that but there's also more from him in this chapter so I hope you all enjoy it! :D Also, I realized there's quiet a bit of SakuIno friendship in this story. :P If only I had enough space to mention it in the summary. :|

'Walk closer to me this time,' he instructed and Sakura abstractedly complied.

'Ino was right after all.'

And now, Sakura knew she had to assure Sasuke that she still felt the same way. A part of her did want to push him towards further clarification but most of her knew well enough that Sasuke wasn't the type to be too open when it came to matters of the heart and she wanted to encourage him, not drive him to the point where he would dismiss her as plain dumb and give up. Besides, this wasn't going to be the first she'd reveal her feelings to him, so what was there to lose?

'Then why is it so terrifying?' she mentally groaned.

Her mind went back to her prior two confessions. She trembled a little as she remembered how he had responded both times, questioning whether confessing again really would be a good idea. And to her dismay, Sasuke had sensed her uneasiness and even voiced it out.

'What's wrong?' he questioned, cautiously looking around for the source of her discomfort.

'N-nothing, nothing's wrong,' she assured sheepishly, putting on her best smile. 'Oh a-and Sasuke-kun?' she continued, suddenly remembering that she hadn't even thanked him yet for knocking her harassers senseless, even if she hadn't wanted him to.

'Hn?' he raised an eye-brow.

'Thank you for beating up those guys earlier,' she smiled.

'Thank you.'

Her own words hit her like a brick and this time, it was positive memories that came flooding back. They encompassed her so fully, she almost didn't hear the smug grunt she received in response. But she caught his smile. A smile she was severely getting used to and she never wanted to feel its absence again. Nothing would stop her now. Ever since his return, Sasuke had given her everything she had hoped for all these years and more and she would not, absolutely not let her fears get in the way of what could finally be her happily ever after. Their happily ever after. She almost squealed, earning a confused but curious look from Sasuke.

'It-it's nothing again,' she laughed nervously, awkwardly rubbing the back of her head. 'Oh, we're here!' she added, noting that they were already standing outside her house.

She was surprised she had managed to lead them here so unconsciously, considering the last thing on her mind had been which way they were going. Unless…

'Wait, did I lead us here or did you?' she blurted out, realizing how absurd her words sounded only after they came out.

And then, as if she hadn't been surprised enough times that day already, she witnessed the extraordinary. She witnessed the great Uchiha Sasuke falter with his words.

'I… the dobe told me you lived here while we were walking to his place after lunch.'

'O-oh,' she blinked. 'Okay.'

She then continued towards the front door, stopping just before the small, pink mat that preceded it. She bent down, lifted it slightly and recovered the small key that rested beneath it. She stood back up and hitched it inside the lock, looking back and smiling at Sasuke as she did.

'Well, goodnight, Sasuke-kun,' she said warmly as the lock clicked and she turned the door's handle. 'Thanks for walking me home.'

'Sakura,' she heard him call out.

She turned around to find him standing at less than an arm's length, eyes warm. She couldn't help but lose herself in them. She was sure she had done nothing but stare for at least five seconds.

'Um… uh y-yes, Sasuke-kun?' she said finally, lowering her gaze shyly.

She looked back up at him as his hand partially obscured her line of vision.

Tap.

She felt just about the gentlest pressure as his fingers pushed down on her forehead and her skin tingled in a way it only had once before but in a way she had longed for ever since. The sensation quickly spread throughout her body and it heated up and she was sure if he had withdrawn his hand even a second later, she would've collapsed.

'See you tomorrow,' he half-smirked, half-smiled.

She nodded happily, consciously holding back the silly, lop-sided grin she knew would break out the minute she relaxed. Sasuke retreated to the street and then darted off in the characteristic shinobi way, leaving behind no less than a euphoric Sakura. For a minute or so, she just kept standing there, almost expecting, well hoping that he'd come back. She chuckled at the thought before turning around and walking into her house, resting against the door as she closed it, sighing contentedly.

After giving herself a minute, she made her way to her room, brushing her fingers against the now numb spot on her forehead. She giggled blissfully, recalling the whole day, which could easily qualify as the best of her life but she couldn't help but anticipate that there were even better to come. She sighed again as she let herself fall freely on her bed. Now, it was her turn to show him just how much he always had and always would mean to her.

The next morning, she woke up early. She did her morning rituals, got dressed as quickly as possible and dashed out of her house, not even bothering with breakfast. She could not risk running into Sasuke before she had everything prepared. She wanted him to be on the receiving end in their next meeting.

'I just hope I can make you as happy as you made me, Sasuke-kun,' she thought fondly, continuing ahead at full speed and stopping only when her destination had been reached.

'Yamanaka Hana,' exhaled Sakura, turning to face her longtime friend and rival's flower shop.

A small sign on the door caught her attention. She stared at it for a few seconds, almost as if trying to will it into flipping and declaring the shop open. It didn't happen. Sakura scowled, before shamelessly proceeding to bang her head against the door, frustration getting the better of her.

'Stop hammering my door with your big forehead, forehead.'

Sakura had never been happier to hear Ino's voice.

'Pig!' yelled Sakura excitedly, turning around to face the lady in purple.

'Wouldn't want to ruin Sasuke-kun's favorite poking spot, now would we?' teased Ino.

Sakura blushed. Why couldn't all of them just stop with that already? But wait. A sudden thought struck her. What if she actually had managed to bruise it or something? She hurriedly moved towards the nearest glass window and tried to make out if her reflection had a damaged forehead.

Ino chortled. 'Relax, it looks fine,' she assured. 'Excluding the fact that it's enormous, of course.'

'Shut up,' glared Sakura.

Ino let out a laugh again. 'So,' she began. 'No need to ask why you're here,' she said with a mischievous smirk, advancing towards the door and unlocking it.

'Can we save the mocking for another time? Sort of in a hurry over here!' uttered Sakura frantically.

'Okay, okay,' replied Ino, pushing the door open. 'Come on in.'

Sakura rushed inside, anxiously moving all around the shop. She had been sure about her decision to go with flowers last night but she was having second thoughts now. She wasn't even sure what flowers she was going to get, how would she ever decide? And even if she did manage to pick some, could she ever hope for them to be on par with what Sasuke had chosen? He had picked such rare ones after travelling around the world after all and she was just here in Konoha's local flower shop. But how else could she possibly communicate to him that she had understood his message and that her giving him a present now was her response, not just a random act of affection? Besides, she wanted to convey some sort of meaningful message to him too and not just any present could accomplish that. It had to be flowers. He was the one who had decided to use that language. And she would respond in the same one. That's what she had thought last night and that's what she was going to stick to.

'But men don't like flowers,' a voice in her head argued.

'Oh, shut up,' Sakura muttered under her breath. 'I'm conveying a message, I'm not asking him to sniff them or wear them in his hair or something.'

'An Uchiha with flowers in his hair? Now, that'd be a sight to see,' giggled Ino.

'You heard me?' blinked Sakura, turning her head to find the blonde walking up to her.

'Sure did,' replied Ino. 'So, what are we looking for, forehead? For someone who was in such a big hurry, you sure are taking your time.'

'I don't know,' Sakura sighed in defeat.

'Well, is there something that you would like to say to him in particular?' Ino questioned.

Sakura thought hard. Not only about what she wanted to say to him but also about whether he had left any clues as to what he wanted to hear from her. And then she had it.

'He asked me if anything significant had changed in my life while he was gone,' began Sakura. 'I think he meant my feelings for him, like if anyone had taken his place. So, I want to assure him that he's the one I love, even now.'

'Aha, I know just the thing!' beamed Ino, pacing towards a specific shelf at the further end of the shop. 'It's a rare flower so we only have a few but of course, you can have one.'

Sakura's face finally lit up as Ino handed her a pink flower with a short stem.

'It's an 'Arbutus',' stated Ino. 'Giving it to someone is practically saying 'you are the only one I love',' she explained, complete with the dramatic tone and hand gestures.

Sakura giggled. 'It's perfect.'

'What else?' said Ino. 'What else do you want to tell him?'

'Um…,' began Sakura unsurely. '… that it'll always be this way, that I'll always love him, so… he doesn't ever need to be unsure about it in the future.'

'Forehead, you'll make me cry,' cautioned Ino. 'Save it for his face.'

Sakura laughed. 'So, what do you think? A tulip should convey that, no? Red, if I remember correctly?'

'A flower that represents perfect and undying love,' mused Ino. 'You just nailed it, forehead,' she smirked, handing her a red tulip.

'Well, that should be enough, I suppose,' smiled Sakura, holding both the flowers together and making her way to the counter.

'Hey, forehead,' said Ino quietly, tapping Sakura on the shoulder.

Sakura turned to face her.

'I think you should add just one more,' smiled Ino, handing her the flower that shared her name. 'The 'Sakura' flower. I think he'd like this one the best.'

'Y-you think so?' stuttered Sakura, wondering if Sasuke really would like receiving a flower just for the sake of it having the same name as her.

'I know so,' affirmed Ino and Sakura hugged her.

'Thank you so much, Ino-pig,' she murmured gratefully against Ino's shoulder.

'No problem, forehead,' chuckled Ino and they both pulled back.

'So, how much do I owe you?' questioned Sakura, reaching into her pocket.

'Don't worry about it. They're on me,' replied Ino. 'As long as I get to be your maid of honor, of course,' she quickly added.

Sakura laughed. 'Take it, pig' she said, placing some money on the counter. 'It's a present, so I have to pay for it.'

'Well, okay,' agreed Ino, taking the money and returning the change. 'But lunch is on me. Actually, make that tomorrow's lunch. I doubt you'll even be free for dinner, let alone lunch today,' she winked.

Sakura let out a chuckle but added a worried 'If all goes well, that is.'

'Oh, it will,' assured Ino. 'Now, go already!'

Sakura nodded and hurried out of the shop.

'And good luck!' she heard Ino yell after her.

'Thanks!' she waved back.

Now, she had to find Sasuke. She looked around to see if there was a clock nearby. And she found one inside a shop. She moved closer to it to get a better look. It was almost 9. Knowing Sasuke, he would've woken up by now. But she had no idea where he would be. Heck, she didn't even know where he had spent the night. She slapped herself mentally for her carelessness. Her only hope was that Naruto had awoken too and dragged him to Ichiraku's somehow for breakfast. Having no other lead, she started making her way to Ichiraku's, deciding not to go too fast so that she wouldn't end up missing someone who could possibly help her.

She looked to her left and to her right and occasionally glanced down at the 3 flowers in her hand to make sure they were still fresh and unharmed. She looked ahead and sometimes even turned her head around to see if someone useful had popped up while she hadn't been looking. But no, they hadn't. All she could see were just some random people. And even though barely 5 minutes had passed since she started her search, she was already beginning to despair. What if Sasuke had just left again at night without bothering to tell her or anyone else? What if he wasn't planning on returning for another couple of years? What would she do then? Just go back to waiting?

'No,' she told herself. 'Don't think like that. He said he'd see me today. He would keep his word. He would. But then where is he?'

'Where are you?' she grumbled aloud and her stomach grumbled along with her, reminding her that she had denied it the due nutrition today.

Closing her eyes, she slumped towards the ground, slowly shuffling forward.

Thump.

'Oh,' uttered Sakura, opening her eyes and lifting her head to see what she had collided with.

'Looking for someone?'

'Sasuke-kun!' gasped Sakura. 'Where did you-? How did you-? What?'

How he had managed to show up exactly where she was, exactly when she had yearned for him, in a matter of seconds, without her sensing even the slightest movement was beyond her. Uchiha Sasuke really was inexplicable.

'I was looking for you,' he stated simply with a sound that sounded almost like a chuckle. 'And I found you. It's not that complex.'

'No, you were just… I was just… I didn't even… oh, forget it,' sighed Sakura. 'I-I was looking for you too,' she added, a pink tinge creeping over her cheeks.

'And I'm here,' he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

She took a step towards him and held out both her hands, the three flowers resting on them.

'Th-these are for you,' she said carefully, the beat of her heart quickening with each word she spoke.

She looked up at him and saw him blink in surprise.

'Deep breaths. Deep breaths.' Sakura told herself, before finally opening her mouth. 'It's so that-'

'Arbutus,' started Sasuke with a smile, picking up said flower. 'I love you alone.'

Sakura was sure her hair was a shade paler than her face now. And her heart was pounding so hard, she could almost see it leaping out of her chest. She had accepted the fact that Sasuke knew what different flowers symbolized but hearing him say it out loud was just a different feeling altogether. The most blissful but also the most petrifying feeling ever.

'A red tulip,' he continued, taking the sole red flower from her hands too. 'A perfect love.'

'U-undying love,' she added.

He smiled again.

His confession had not just been in her head. Everything that had happened after his return had not just been in her head. He had meant it. He had meant all of it. She knew now. She just knew.

And then he picked up the last one. The cherry blossom. The Sakura.

'Sakura,' he said and she wasn't sure if he meant the flower or her but she saw his eyes soften.

'I-Ino said you'd like… that one,' she explained.

'I do,' he replied, gazing at her. 'I like it a lot,' he said as he carefully used his only hand to set the stems of the flowers in his pocket. 'And,' he continued as he took a step towards her, leaving only a few inches between them. 'It's the one I plan on keeping the closest to me.'

Sakura looked everywhere but at Sasuke as her face heated up to what, 150 degrees? And that hadn't been a good idea because it had suddenly reminded her that they weren't alone and had made her realize that a lot of the people passing by were looking at her. At them. But if it wasn't bothering Sasuke, she wouldn't let it bother her either.

And she knew she looked somewhat like a tomato now but she had to look at him sooner or later. So, she did and she could see that genuine smile she never wanted to let go of. And if that smile was the fruit of waiting for so long, she would gladly do it all over again.

'Sakura,' he breathed, in that ever so familiar way of his.

'Yes, Sa… ,' was all she managed to say before his hand went up to rest at the back of her head and his lips pressed against her forehead, just below her hairline. Electricity kicked in all over her body, arising in her forehead and travelling all the way down to her toes. She could see nothing, hear nothing and feel nothing but his touch, not even her heart. She was numb but also burning and through it all, she could only think of how after a lifetime of hating it, she finally loved her forehead. She couldn't speak, she couldn't move but she loved her forehead.

And when he pulled back, after what seemed like an eternity that had ended too soon, he had left her with that same annoying tingling throughout her skin that made her crave for his touch again and again.

'Thank you,' he said, letting his eyes stare at hers, as tenderly as they wished.

And he smiled. And Sakura was happier than she had ever been.

A/N: So, this was the final chapter and with this, Return & Reciprocate comes to an end, everyone. I got requests asking to continue it for longer but I planned it as a short story from the beginning and kept the pace and events according to that so even though I wanted to, I couldn't continue. :/ I didn't want to ruin it.
However, for those who wanted more chapters and also for those who wanted more of Sasuke's feelings, I do have some good news! I have planned a prequel as well as a sequel to this story.
The prequel is supposed to deal with more of Sasuke's point of view, his thoughts as he reunited with Sakura and perhaps a bit of him thinking about her on his journey, his thoughts on the flowers and something along those lines. :)
And the sequel, if I do one, would show their relationship from a later point, set say about a year or two after this story though I am also interested in writing about how Sasuke would propose to Sakura so I still have to work out all the details for that.
Anyway, please give me feedback on whether you would like to read the prequel or the sequel more (or both :P) and whether you would prefer a one-shot or a chaptered fic and don't forget to give your feedback on this story as well! It would really help me make my mind on what to do next. Thank youuu!