Maybe next time...

Hello dear readers. I know it's been a while since I last posted a fanfic and I am truly disappointed in myself, but life has been hectic, with me moving to a different city for university. But now that I am settled I hope I will return better than before.

This will be my first multi-chapter story, and I hope I will pull through and not disappoint anyone.

Recently I started and finished Naruto and couldn't help but be in love with Sasusaku. Thank goodness it was already canon when I started watching the anime, so I knew that in the end they would be together. I can't imagine the worry of all the Sasusaku fans before they announced they were official. It must have been hard.

Still, all is well now even though it took them this long to get where they are.

This will be a fanfic about their travels together. I hope that it turns out good.

Chapter 1

Maybe next time…

Those words had haunted her. And he had left. Again. For who knew how long. And again…he had left her behind. To endlessly await his return. There was no other option for her and she knew it.

Sure, on some level she understood that he needed to do this alone, but still... She wanted to go with him. On his journey. To help him.

But she stayed back in Konoha.

She didn't have any complaints about her life, it was actually pretty great. She had founded the Children Mental hospital to help the orphans after the war and she was proud of that. Now that lady Tsunade had departed - to another gambling expedition for sure- she was the top medical ninja in the village. She was practically running the hospital herself. Which is how she got in this situation...

He was standing in front of her , mostly lying actually, on the medical bed in her office.

2 years and 3 months had passed since he left and he came back just 2 days ago, wounded, with a big slash down his torso. It wasn't really difficult to heal it, in two sessions he was practically as good as new.

The amount of fatigue that had piled up all this time, combined with a concussion he had recently received, was a different matter though.

He had been practically passed out for a day and a half. The look of surprise on his face when he woke up and noticed that the wound was gone was -even though most people wouldn't had noticed it- priceless to Sakura. He really did try to hide it but she knew him too well.

While he was under, she had started to heal his head from exhaustion. Even though he had taken his brother's eyes and supposedly there was no limit to their use, she could feel a disturbance in the flow of chakra. It felt like, as soon as his body produced it, he would use it. That, being done constantly over an excessive amount of time, was bound to cause some internal trauma. In this case to his head. She wondered how many times he had gotten a concussion during the time he was gone.

In the condition his head was in, it would take some time to get it to how it was supposed to be. A week at least.

And even though she couldn't admit it out loud, she was happy he would stay in Konoha, even for a little while.

She noticed him stirring.
He started getting up.

As soon as his head lifted from the bed she swept in and gently pushed him back down. He scowled.

"Sakura" his voice held a threatening tone "Let me go"

" Absolutely not Sasuke-kun."

His scowl grew into a pout. He knew he couldn't surpass her power. She almost giggled at his expression.

" You are not well Sasuke-kun. You may not admit it but I know you must be feeling light headed. You have been feeling like that for a while now. Tell me I am wrong..." she said expectedly.

He kept glaring, though it held no malice. The silence was all the confirmation that she needed.

He sighed. " How long?"

Her face fell. He wanted to leave. She was happy to have him near her, even in the current circumstances, and he couldn't wait to go away again.

" A week. At the very least."

He was silent and she knew he wouldn't try to escape again. She reluctantly removed her hand from his shoulder.

He made eye contact, as if asking her about it.

"You over exhausted your eyes and chakra flow."

" But..."

" Even though you have his eyes you know you should be more cautious. You have, time and again, exhausted your chakra completely and damaged your head. You should rest from time to time Sasuke-kun."

He hated the look she was giving him, it reminded him of his mother. It held love and a bit of disappointment for his actions in it. Yet part of him was secretly happy someone still cared so unconditionally for him. Team 7 was the only family he had left and he was constantly faced with that fact.

He had spent a lot of time alone in the darkness. And even though he was seeking redemption, he still felt a bit of the darkness inside, his previous self. That's why he kept pushing himself constantly over the limits. To beat the past darkness completely. But how could he relate that to her?

"Can I-"

"Yes you can. I am sure you must be stiff after being still for so long"

"Ah." He remained silent for a moment. "How l-"

"About a day and a half."

He didn't know what else to say. She apparently knew him well enough to know what he was thinking, and that shocked him. They had a past, they practically grew up together, him, her and the dobe. And knowing that loser, it wouldn't be long before he-

"TEME!" The door burst open. " You're back!"

Sakura giggled as Naruto lunged himself at the still lying Sasuke, hugging him in a way that obviously had him annoyed. When Naruto got up, he lightly punched his arm, enough that it hurt though.

"What's wrong with you! You leave without even a proper goodbye and stay without contact for so long. We were worried about you, ya know. And now you show up so wounded that Sakura-chan had to be at your side constantly for two days!" Naruto yelled without thinking. Sakura blushed and looked at the floor.

Sasuke slowly got up and faced her.

"Arigato, Sakura" he said in a calm manner.

That was one of the main differences between her two comrades. The one was unbelievably loud and acted without thinking and the other was so reserved, sometimes it was hard to draw an emotion out of him. Complete opposites and yet they shared so much.

She thought she detected a tiny smile but it was the intensity of his gaze that had her blushing even more.

"Well. I think we should go for dinner together, ya know. Have a Team 7 reunion. And I won't take no for an answer!"

Sasuke abruptly turned his head and glared at him but his gaze held no anger.

"Don't look at me like that Teme! It's a great idea and you know it! That way we can get to know how our lives are now! It's been sooo long since we last saw each other, ya know." Naruto whined.

Sasuke found Sakura looking at him with longing. He could tell she would like that as well. To know about his journey.

"Fine." He huffed and Sakura giggled as he muttered Usuratonkachi under his breath.

"Ok, but Naruto you have to leave so I can bandage Sasuke-kun."

"Sure thing Sakura-chan! Just don't take too long." Naruto grinned that signature smile of his and ran out the door.

Sasuke sat back down on the bed and watched curiously as Sakura was looking anywhere but him. It was almost funny seeing her avert her gaze but he didn't know why. Only then he realized that he was half naked with only a few bandages covering his chest.

But still, she had seen him topless before. They had been teenagers then though. But why was she getting so flustered now...they were friends, weren't they? There should be some comfort between them, not nervousness...

Without realizing he activated his Sharingan as he watched her triple check all the medical supplies she would need before finally approaching him.

She traced the lines of the bandages he was currently wearing with her fingers, trying to find the edge. He shivered. Her touch felt electric on his skin. Quickly she removed her hands.

"Sorry Sasuke-kun, did I hurt you?"

"No."

"Oh but I thought that-" she stopped herself when she saw the look he was giving her. It was so intense that she swallowed the rest of her words. The intricate patterns of the Sharingan never ceased to amaze her. But she couldn't decipher it's meaning.

She had never seen that look in his eyes before. But then again, they hadn't been in a situation quite like this one before. Sure, she had seen him shirtless, heck, even one of his fighting outfits was practically shirtless, back when he could grow wings. Those were dark days for him, although she couldn't deny he had looked good in that outfit.

But it wasn't the same. Now they were close, at least when it came to distance. She could actually touch him. She had touched him. And he, himself wasn't the same, both on the inside and outside. Now he was reformed, seeking redemption for his past deeds. He was good, a bit rough around the edges but good.

And don't get her started on the outside changes. What she had seen was a boy, while, before her, now stood a grown man. He was 20 now, just like her. His hair had gotten longer, she noted, and his bangs now covered his left eye completely. It suited him. And she understood why he did it, it must have been hard having to see an eye that wasn't yours every time you saw your reflection, plus that way he effectively hid it from potential enemies. His body was bigger than she remembered, his muscles more evident as he was breathing, but it wasn't excessive. He was still lean and smooth.

She approached again to unwrap the old bandages, this time she bared his broad chest completely. She focused on the wound. It was almost gone. She laid her palms on his torso and they began glowing green as her chakra healed him.

He sighed. Her touch had always felt good. Like life flowing through him. He could feel his body being refreshed as a surge of energy passed through him. He shivered again but she didn't pull away this time.

He didn't know for how long she had been healing him, but he immediately took notice when she finished because her hands left him. The weird sort of disappointment he felt was new to him.

The wound was now reduced to a thin white line that, if you asked her, adorned his skin. She didn't even have to wrap it up again, but she did it anyway. For protection, she told herself. He didn't question her.

Now comes the hard part, she thought. "Sasuke-kun, to heal the concussion I am going to have to touch your head."

"Hn"

'Wow. That was easier than I thought. I thought he would at least protest.'

She hesitantly placed her fingers on each side of his head, in his lush hair. Because he was sitting, they were at the same height, and he was looking straight into her eyes, which made her blush again.

After a moment, her hands started glowing again and he closed his eyes, sighing softly in relief. He reveled in that feeling, it didn't hurt anymore. He could feel her breath on his face. He opened his eyes to see her gaze focused on his face. He knew she was a renowned medic, known to all the lands as one of the best, but still she never ceased to impress him with her skills.

Suddenly he realized that her hands had left him and she was disposing the used cloth from earlier. When had she pulled away? Had he been so lost in observing her? Part of him was sad he couldn't feel her hands in his hair anymore. Not that he would ever admit it.

He guessed she was done so he went to put on his shirt. She noticed him struggling with one hand and went to help him. She basically took over and he let her. When she finished buttoning his shirt and cape she noticed him smirking slightly at her.

" I could have done it myself. I've had to get used to it, you know."

"I know Sasuke-kun, but...you are among friends now. You don't have to do everything alone. Let us help".

He remained silent. He knew she was right. But still... it wasn't easy letting people in. He was an Uchiha after all...and that damn Uchiha pride wasn't something he couldn't easily overlook.

"Arigato"

She could feel her face get hot again as she lost herself in his gaze. Those marvelous black pools always seemed to captivate her. She cleared her throat.

"No Rinnegan or Mangekyo Sharingan this week. If you can, avoid the Sharingan as well, especially if you feel light-headed. Also, we will have daily sessions, so that your chakra flow gets back to normal."

"Ah."

"And we should get going. Naruto won't wait for long before coming to look for us."

"Ah." He said again and they walked out the door to find the dobe.

"Sakura?"

"Yes Sasuke-kun?"

"I am not having Ramen."

She giggled as they went on their way to find the third member of Team 7.

How was that? I hope you liked it as a first chapter. Please review and let me know… Until next time… Night's Wish