He walked through the gates of Konohagakure with a nod to the guard. Only one guard, he noted absentmindedly. Peacetime had come upon them. But Sasuke's mind was elsewhere. He was thinking of the man he hadn't seen in over half a year, the man he was on his way to visit. Sasuke took to the rooftops once the village became more densely populated; there were two people he wanted to catch up with before he ran into some of his lesser-liked acquaintances. The sun hung low in the sky as he made his way to his best friend's apartment. He just hoped Naruto wasn't out for dinner or having company right then.

Gracefully landing in front of Naruto's door, Sasuke knocked twice briskly. Patiently he waited until footsteps approached the door. His time away had calmed him greatly, maturing his beliefs and settling his thoughts. Though still restless, Sasuke realized again how much his bonds here held him to the village as a tanned arm pulled open the door and the two shinobi were left to take each other in.

"Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed, pulling him into a hug, one arm holding stronger than the other. Sasuke looked over at his friend's bandaged arm and then his face.

Naruto smiled softly. "It's not up to full strength yet, but the therapy's working well." He gestured to Sasuke's left arm. "How's it feeling?"

"I've gotten used to it," Sasuke replied gently, speaking for the first time in days. He stood on Naruto's doorstep, still basking in the warmth he was feeling by seeing his brother again. He had thought of his teammates endlessly during his travels, no longer able to deny the bond that steadfastly held them together, but being back provided a sense of peace, a break from the agitation that had been creeping up on him lately. He knew it had been time to return.

"Ah, sorry, what am I doing? Come in, come in," Naruto urged, opening the door wider and stepping back as Sasuke entered the moderately-sized apartment.

They talked until the clouds were taken by golds and purples and deep fuchsias - talked about the past and the present and indirectly hinted about the future. A part of Sasuke wanted to stay forever. Finally, though, at a break in the conversation, he stood.

"Want anything to drink or eat?" Naruto offered, getting up and starting toward his kitchen.

"Thanks, Naruto, but I have to get going," Sasuke explained.

Confusion showed itself on Naruto's face as he halted mid-step and turned around. "Going? Where?"

Sasuke took a breath as a pinch of anxiety made itself known, followed by a soft sense of urgency.

Reading his hesitation, it clicked and Naruto's face lit up, smiling wide and warmly. "Yes, you need to go now." Changing his direction, Naruto walked to the front door and Sasuke could hear the happiness in his voice, happiness that he was finally able to say "See you tomorrow, Sasuke!" once more.

Even without Sasuke's unnatural sense of direction, he knew the way from the few times he had been there after the war. Coming to a stop on her doorstep, he tried not to picture her in his mind as he knocked, hoping she was in her apartment. He wanted to see her before he went home and was hoping to avoid searching the entire village for her.

As seconds turned into minutes and he knocked again, and a third time for good measure, she proved to be less of a convenient find for him compared to Naruto. Sasuke took to the rooftops once more, heading to the other place she was most likely to be.

Arriving in a few minutes, he realized that if she was indeed there, he couldn't just waltz in to see her in the middle of her shift.

Mustering up the last of his patience that had been quickly dwindling since the village wall had come into view, Sasuke asked the nurse at the front desk if she was indeed working.

"Yes, Uchiha-san. Haruno-san is on duty for another hour," he replied.

Sasuke nodded and mumbled a short "thanks" before turning around and walking out of the hospital. Seating himself on a bench near the entrance, he leaned into the worn wood and exhaled louder than he meant to.

Feeling the need to find something to keep him occupied while he waited, he decided to find a place to eat quickly, considering the time since he last ate. But he quickly changed his mind; she would not have eaten either and maybe it would be better if he waited for her. Or maybe he could get take out for the both of them. Still debating, his thoughts were interrupted by loud footsteps behind him which halted abruptly. Though he had no reason to care about some random person's business, he felt himself turning to look at the source of the racket. Taken by surprise, his eyes widened and his heart fell into a pool of anxious energy in the pit of his stomach.

Sakura's look mirrored his.

She looked slightly out of breath and different, but at the same time no different, than when he had left. Slowly he stood and, like a leaf blowing in the breeze, began to walk toward her.

Sakura looked like a smile was about to burst from her lips yet she was either trying to contain it or some other emotion was warring for dominance within her. Sasuke stopped in front of her and was almost shocked by the intense feelings he was constraining. From the moment Naruto had saved him, Sasuke knew things had changed. The short while he was back in Konoha proved that. And in the time he spent traveling, thoughts of her had persisted. As much as family, as bonds, were important to him, Sasuke was an independent person first and foremost, and neither Naruto nor anyone else would drag him back to his home village before he was ready. But as the weeks turned into months, he missed Naruto more and more.

He missed Sakura more and more.

The feeling didn't frighten him. He knew it was right, that it belonged. He held it off, and the feeling matured along with him. It calmed and solidified as his character had done over his months traveling the world. But soon enough, he knew it was time. Maybe he would return, travel again, but Sasuke knew it was time to continue to strengthen his bonds in person once more.

And now she was standing in front of him and he wasn't sure if it was love (yes, he was) but he was wise enough to know that rushing things wasn't the way to go. He had no right to. He was going to do this right and slowly and rebuild their friendship from the ashes, stronger and more resiliant than it had ever been.

"I almost didn't believe them," she breathed, whispered, recapturing his attention.

Forcing the anxiety down and taking a breath to calm the heart of his that was beating unnaturally quickly, he asked as smoothly as he could, "Aren't you supposed to be at work for another hour?"

And then her smile broke through, radiantly, and he realized that she would never cease to amaze him. He underestimated her happiness upon seeing him. He was sure the frustration and sadness would come soon, but right now, even if he wasn't able to contain his happiness either, hers was contagious. Sasuke felt like holes were being bored somewhere in his chest.

"The nurse at the front desk sent someone to tell m—"

Sasuke cut her off as he rushed forward, wrapping his arm around her and wishing, almost more now than ever before, that he had two arms because she just wasn't as close to him as he wanted. She hesitated, but then – after a moment – wrapped her arms around him and exhaled deeply into his shoulder. He could feel her trembling.

He tried to stop himself from doing the same. It had been so long.

There was no need to tell Naruto; it had been obvious. But she had to know that he missed her. He knew that despite how true it was to him, he didn't have a history of being candid with her. Actually telling her would be appropriate. All the walls he had put up to become strong had long since crumbled and it only took a little of his new, different strength to whisper, "I missed you," into the cooling night air.

He felt her tense against him, before she relaxed and pulled away. Her smile was softer now and Sasuke was sure his wasn't too different. Standing at arm's length, he took her in, hardly even realizing she was doing the same.

"How are you?" she finally asked, slowly getting over the initial shock of seeing him.

Sasuke let out a short laugh. "Where do I start?" he asked looking around, feeling almost overwhelmed by the question. But he looked back at her and countered, "And what about yourself?"

She grinned. "Well, I'm hungry actually, and-" in the streetlights he could clearly see her flushing and his features softened in response at her sudden loss of confidence, "I think I can get the rest of my shift off since it's slow today . . ." She looked down to his shoes before adding quietly, "That is . . . if you have time."

"That's a good idea, Sakura. Let's go."

a/n: And there you go, just another headcanon where Sasuke comes back unexpectedly. I couldn't resist. I tried to keep them as in-character as possible, becasue as dramatically as I believe both of them have changed since the war ended, I've already read too many fanfics where it jumps way too fast. Honestly, I even think this is too fast. I think Sasuke might have started to culture his feelings for Sakura after he left (after the war) but I totally favor the stories where time slowly bring them together. But, for the sake of that not being the case, here you go.

Thanks for reading! And if you have any comments, critiques, or ideas I'd be open to writing another 'Sasuke returns' story. I'm just so satisfied with the way chapter 699 went that I'm totally engrossed right now. Reviews are extremely motivating and I really appreciate every single one.