"It's my road to redemption. You have nothing to do with my sins...but I'll see you soon. Thank you." Sasuke's final words to Sakura before he departed on a new journey echoed within the young woman's mind. It has only been a few months since that day, but it feels like an eternity. We were finally able to help Sasuke to see the light again yet I'm still stuck here without him. Just my luck…

Sakura let out an audible sigh while plopping down onto her bed. Since Sasuke's departure, he had not returned to visit; the only contact between him and his former teammates was through the occasional letter delivered by a messenger bird. The pink-haired kunoichi missed her love interest dearly. While he was seeking revenge, it had been easy for her to preoccupy herself with finding ways to save him from himself. Now that he was on a path to a brighter future, however, she found it increasingly different to keep her mind off of the distance between them. What was he thanking me for before he left? It seemed like I was always so useless in trying to help him, and it was Naruto who was finally able to bring him back to us. Whether he's back here or not probably won't make much of a difference for me…I'm a far cry from the type of woman Sasuke would be interested in. Another sigh. Still, she wished she could see him again; she could always rest more peacefully knowing that he was alright.

A light tapping on Sakura's door brought her out of her thoughts. She walked into her living area and stared silently at the door for a moment, wondering who it could be knocking on her door so close to midnight. She had just moved into her new apartment a couple of weeks previously, and her parents had been extremely clingy, constantly finding reasons to drop by unannounced. Rolling her eyes, the annoyed young woman swung her door opened, fully expecting to see her parents standing in front of her with large, goofy smiles on their faces.

"It has been a while, Sakura." The kunoichi's eyes widened as she finally processed who the voice belonged to.

"Sa…Sasuke…What are you doing here?" Sakura asked, awestruck at the situation.

"I assumed you would be happy to see me. Am I bothering you?" The young Uchiha raised a questioning eyebrow at his former teammate's reaction.

"No, that isn't it at all! I just…I mean…What are you doing back in the village? And, how did you find my apartment?" As she finished speaking, the awestruck kunoichi stepped aside to allow her company to enter and shut the door behind him.

"I returned late this evening. I know that this must be unexpected, but I felt like I'd been absent from this village for long enough. Kakashi informed me as to where you were staying." Sasuke sat down on Sakura's couch, and she followed closely behind him.

"Well, whatever your reason, I'm glad to see you're back. I'm guessing you'll be staying at the Uchiha estate tonight?"

"In all honesty, no. I…don't think that I am ready to take that step just yet." Sasuke looked away from Sakura in an attempt to hide the sadness in his eyes, but she still heard it in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-Kun. I…I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories…To make up for it, why don't you stay here tonight, if you haven't arranged anything else? I'd hate for you to have to sleep outside or anything."

"I am used to sleeping under the stars," the midnight-haired Uchiha replied, still avoiding his companion's gaze.

"O-oh…Of course," Sakura stated in a hushed voice, embarrassed at her apparent inability to make appropriate conversation with her former teammate. To her surprise, however, Sasuke gave a slight chuckle.

"Thank you for your offer, and if it is alright with you, I will accept. Would you mind me using your shower?"

"That's great! I'm glad I could be of some help! And yeah, go ahead. There are towels already in the bathroom." The former rogue ninja quickly nodded his head in understanding and appreciation, and then made his way to the restroom, shutting the door behind him.

Sakura sat in silence, attempting to process the events that had so suddenly unfolded. I can't believe he's finally back, she thought to herself while placing a hand on her chest and allowing her cheeks to turn a light shade of red. I'm…just so glad to see that he looks well. He even came to my home to visit me! Who would have thought a day like this would come? Just a few months ago, something like this seemed so out of reach…Things have a way of changing so quickly.

The rosette-haired young woman leaned back and laid her head on the back of her couch. She stayed lost in pointless thought until her companion emerged from the bathroom. She opened her eyes to find Sasuke standing at the bathroom door and drying his hair with a towel, shirtless all the while. Sakura's faint blush went deep red, and she turned away from the scene quickly.

"What is it, Sakura?" the slightly confused young man asked, again raising an eyebrow at his friend's behavior.

"O-oh nothing! Y-you just surprised me; that's all!" Sakura blurted out, struggling to cover up her awkwardness. "Hn," was all Sasuke replied with before sitting down next to the awkward young woman once more, laying back against the couch as she had been previously. There was a silence that crept its way between the past teammates for a short period of time until the sound of the only remaining Uchiha's breathing became heavy. Sakura glanced over to see that her companion seemed to have fallen asleep. Wow, that was quick. He must be exhausted from all of his travels, so I shouldn't be surprised, she thought to herself, smiling slightly at how tranquil her old friend looked as he slept. She reached up and gently brushed hair off of Sasuke's face and stroked his cheek lightly. I'm so glad he's here…

"Sakura," Sasuke mumbled, placing his hand over the one she had on his face.

"Eek!" Sakura shrieked, obviously humiliated by having been caught. "S-sorry! I must have gotten carried away or something! I'll go to my room and let you slee—"

"Your hands are so soft," the tired young man described in a quiet voice, earning a surprised gasp from his old friend. "Th-thank y-you, Sasuke-Kun…" she replied, removing her hand from his face.

"Sakura, are you upset with me?"

Sakura gave her former teammate an inquiring and concerned look. "Why would I be upset with you?"

"I…had just come back to the village when I decided I needed to leave once more. As Kakashi told me, you waited for me to return for years when I left to seek out more power, never giving up hope for me though I had already given up on myself."

"I'm not upset with you because of that," the pink-haired kunoichi began, looking down at her hands in her lap and clenching her fists. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss you, and I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't upset that you were gone again. But, I wasn't upset with you. I just…wished you could have stayed longer. I understood, though; as best I could, at least. I don't know what it's like to go through the tragedy that both you and Naruto had to endure, so I guess I can't completely comprehend what you've done. I don't mind trying, though, and I couldn't be mad at you for doing what you felt like you needed to…I'm sorry…I didn't mean to start rambling."

"You don't need to apologize, Sakura. I'm glad that you feel the way you do," Sasuke stated while leaning in and closing the gap between him and Sakura. Before long, there was no space between the old friends and their lips had collided.

The young kunoichi sat with her eyes widened; she could not believe that her childhood crush had kissed her. Soon, though, she relented and allowed her eyes to slide shut, returning the kiss. The two remained in their position for what felt like forever until Sasuke gently pushed Sakura onto her back while hovering over her. He broke the kiss and trailed his lips over her skin, stopping at her collar bone; he then took his hand and slowly ran his fingers under her shirt, cupping her breast.

"S-Sasuke…W-what are you doing…" the flustered girl struggled out between labored breaths.

"Is this not what you want?" the former rogue ninja inquired, pushing up a bit so that his gaze could meet his old friend's.

"I…" Sakura trailed off, attempting to gather her thoughts. As she pondered on her childhood crush's question, tears began welling up in her eyes. "You and Naruto are so alike sometimes; no wonder you two fought so often. Before you left us the first time, you and Naruto would both just agree to things to make me happy. I'm tired of being pitied for being weak-minded. Don't do this for my sake; please don't do this because you know I was upset that you were gone again…I don't want you to pity me just because—"

"You're as annoying as ever, Sakura," Sasuke cut the young kunoichi off, staring into her watery eyes sternly. "You assume you know my feelings, but it is obvious you have no clue about how I feel. I showed up on your doorstep at midnight because I struggled internally all day; I wondered if it would be right of me to ask for your forgiveness and care again after all that I have done—to you especially. I finally decided to see you because I promised you that I would be back this time, Sakura. You are part of the reason I can call this village home again. I am not doing this just for you; I am doing it for myself as well. I want to feel the extent of your love for me, and I want to show you, in some way, how I feel for you."

Sakura was at a loss for words; she could barely catch her breath. The love of her life had just…confessed his love for her? Her heart was beating so prominently in her chest that it felt as though it may burst. "Sasuke…You…" she began, trying to figure out what an appropriate response to his confession would be. "I want you to continue. I want this…for the both of us."

With her consent being given, the young Uchiha assisted Sakura in removing her shirt and bra. He took in the image of her pale white skin and supple breasts before trapping one of her nipples between his lips. He sucked lightly, causing the girl beneath him to arch her back. He ran his tongue over her nipple again and again until he felt it was time to move on. He sat up and the rosette-haired kunoichi took the hint that he wanted her to remove the shorts she was wearing as well as her underwear; she did so swiftly, a blush creeping back onto her face out of embarrassment at being seen fully naked for the first time.

Sasuke once again took in his companion's beauty. She had been at his side for years, yet he had never taken the time to truly see her. Now that he saw her clearly, she was breathtaking. He bent back down and kissed her stomach before trailing down to her pussy. He felt himself becoming more aroused in reaction to her scent, and then plunged his tongue inside of her. Sakura let out a sudden gasp in response to Sasuke's forwardness; he licked at her pussy with what seemed like natural skill, triggering her to push his head further between her legs. She began shivering with pleasure as she neared her climax, and her lover pulled back abruptly. The agitated young woman gave her old friend a questioning and irritated glare, earning a chuckle out of him.

"Patience, Sakura. I don't want you having all of the fun." At his words, Sasuke stood up, and Sakura couldn't help but to notice his arm. She cringed at the sight of what was left of his arm, not because she was perturbed but because it was a reminder of darker times. Her unease was short lived, however, as she noticed that he had pulled down his bottoms, revealing his enormous cock. "Take it in your mouth," he said, both demanding and asking for it. The pink-haired girl obliged and moved to the edge of the couch so that she could blow her lover. She swirled her tongue around the tip of his dick, teasing him and causing him to moan; she then took his nine-inch dick into her mouth as far as she could nearly leading him to his own breaking point.

Sakura sucked Sasuke's cock as best she could as his moans got louder and louder. She felt his dick tense inside of her mouth, and upon feeling this, she removed it from her mouth. "I don't want you having too much fun yet either," she stated slyly, a crafty smile gracing her lips.

Sasuke gave a low growl and pushed his lover back onto the couch, positioning himself on top of her once more. "If you are going to tease me, be ready to pay for it," he whispered into her ear, pushing his dick into her as he did so. Sakura yelped in pain and dug her nails into his back while attempting to adjust to him inside of her. Though impatient, the young Uchiha remained still to allow her walls to loosen a bit. Once comfortable, Sakura nodded her head, giving Sasuke the okay to pump himself in and out of her. With each thrust, both lover's moans became louder and their breaths became more rigid.

"Sasuke…Sasuke…I think…I think that I'm going to cum!" the flustered kunoichi screamed, wrapping her arms around her lover. Her walls tightened hard around Sasuke's dick. "I'm cumming too, Sakura," he shouted before climaxing with her, shooting his load into her tight pussy.

The former teammates laid together, breathing heavily in content. Upon composing himself, young Uchiha sat up, leaning against the back of the couch. Sakura followed suit while attempting to find the right words to share with him after such an intense, incredible encounter. Before she could think of something to say, Sasuke spoke up.

"Will you be with me?"

"What?" the confused young woman asked in return, not sure what he was inquiring.

"Will you trust me with your heart, despite what I have done in the past? I cannot promise to always be at your side, but I can promise that I will rush to it when you need me. I have not completely redeemed myself, Sakura; I have demons that follow me everywhere I go, but knowing that you care for me, I can find a way to get to sleep at night. You were never my enemy; my resentment stemmed from the fact that I did not want to see the beautiful things in life. I thought it would make me weak to love you, but in the end, it was you who gave me strength to face my past and start a new life. So I'm asking you now: will you be with me?"

"Sasuke…For the first time in our lives, you're the one who's being silly. Of course I'll be with you; I'll be the home that you can return to. You should know that I'll always be waiting to see you again," Sakura replied, smiling tenderly at her companion.

"I know, Sakura, and that's just one more thing that makes you beautiful," Sasuke began, touching his hand to her face and running his thumb across her cheek. "I left the village in search of power all of those years ago not knowing that I would find my strength in a woman who has so much strength of her own. I will be leaving again come tomorrow, but know that we will continue to sleep under the same stars and that I promise to return to you once again." He pushed two of his fingers into his lover's forehead as he had done when he departed the village succeeding the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War. "Oh, and Sakura?"

"Yes?" she replied, still offering a gentle smile.

"Thank you…for being my light when I plunged into darkness and for waiting for me to come back home. I love you."

"I love you too, Sasuke," Sakura replied, nestling into Sasuke's chest and preparing to get some rest. She thought to herself as she waited for sleep to overtake her: The past can't easily be forgotten, but we will forge a future together. This time, we will truly do it as a team, and I will continue to love even the darkest parts of him.