Sasuke POV

He stood from the chair and stretched his muscles a bit more. Looking at the two beaming people in front of him, he ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat, unsure what to do with himself now. Knowing that he was uncomfortable, Sakura came to his aide.

"So, do you have any plans on where you'll be staying? During the attack from Pain, your old apartment was destroyed..."

"I'll find something. It won't be a problem."

"Oh, ok. Well for now, are you hungry then? We could go somewhere and eat?"

"Alright, let's go to Ichiraku! This will be a perfect way to start out our new chapter of life here," Naruto enthusiastically exclaimed. He seemed all too thrilled with the events of the day.

Sasuke didn't want to be dragged around, but he was pretty hungry. Deciding that he would oblige his boisterous friend one meal, he nodded his agreement. The three turned to exit the room, Sakura and Naruto on either side of him like a buffer. As they came out of the courtroom, a crowd of people stared at the trio. Some of them whispered under their breath, whether good or bad, he couldn't discern. If their faces were anything to go by, however, more people had negative things to say about him.

Ignoring the throng of people, Naruto and Sakura moved forward, causing Sasuke to follow them while keeping his eyes to himself as much as possible. Passing villagers looked at his companions with warm wishes and smiles, but they tended to avert their gazes when they saw him. He didn't mind it though. At least they were leaving him alone.

When they arrived at the ramen shop, Sasuke discreetly moved on the other side of Sakura, so she was in the middle of the group. The last thing he wanted was to be too close to Naruto, whose table manners weren't good even when he could use two hands. Naruto and Sakura chatted happily, and Sasuke listened, giving the occasional affirmative that he was listening. Sakura was telling them about some progress she had made at the children's hospital when their food was placed in front of them.

Sasuke had a new dilemma now. How to eat with one hand? It had been easy enough in the hospital and prison because he could pick things up with his hands without worrying about decorum. Now, however, he realized he hadn't thought it through before agreeing to get ramen of all things. Reaching for a pair of chopsticks, he was able to separate them easily using his mouth, but actually eating the ramen was another story. Naruto didn't seem to be slowed down as he haphazardly shoved the food in his mouth. Sasuke was happy about his choice to sit further away from his friend. Feeling Sakura's gaze on him, he met her eyes. She smiled slightly and slowly began to eat, indicating she would match his speed. Thankful, he finally began to eat the noodles. It was awkward and slow, but Sakura wordlessly kept pace with him.

They didn't talk much during the meal, each focused on their own lunch, except for a few comments made by Sakura or Naruto. After finishing and paying, the three stepped out onto the street again.

"What are you going to do now, Sasuke? Do you want me to help you find a new apartment?" Naruto offered.

"No. I'll be fine."

"Jeez, you know you've barely talked to me since we woke up. Just thought it might be nice to hang out a bit."

"I'll see you later. I have things to get done." With that, Sasuke moved his gaze from Naruto to Sakura and held her eyes for a minute. Turning, he walked down the street looking for a less crowded area.

Sakura POV

As they watched him walk away, Naruto muttered under his breath about his antisocial best friend. Sakura was more focused on where he was going. They had eaten lunch late, so it was late afternoon now. There was no way he could find a place to stay this late in the day. She bade Naruto goodbye and followed Sasuke a little way behind. She knew it was silly to tail him like this, but she was worried.

She followed as he used less crowded streets to make his way to the training grounds. Was he really going to start training immediately? Silently, she trailed after him until they were deep into the training grounds. To her surprise, Sasuke found a large tree and sat to lean against it. The sun was setting, but he made no move to try to find an appropriate place to stay for the night. Realizing that he meant to spend the night here, Sakura's heart grew sad. She couldn't just let him sleep outside against rough tree. Her apartment was small, but she had a couch he could sleep on.

As she jumped down from her perch to stand in front of Sasuke, she saw him smirking up at her. "I was wondering how long you were going to stay hidden."

Sakura's face turned red, and she stuttered out, "Well, I just... didn't know where... you were planning to stay..."

He laughed lightly, "Did you really think you could tail me without me knowing about it?"

"Just shut up." Sakura sat down next to him against the tree and began, "You can't sleep out here. How about you stay at my apartment until you find somewhere? On my couch, of course. It's not fancy or anything, but it beats the ground. Oh, and I still need to take a look at your arm since it was restricted for so long. That'll make it easier. If you have any phantom pains, I'll be right in the next room."

Sasuke looked at her with a curious expression. He seemed to be weighing the options carefully.

"Come on, if it was an inconvenience, I wouldn't have asked. It's no big deal, right? You'll get your own place soon enough."

Nodding, Sasuke stood and turned to offer her his hand. "Alright."

Taken aback, Sakura stared at his hand for a few seconds before grasping it with hers. Once she was standing, Sasuke swiftly dropped her hand, and she missed the warmth it provided.

"Great! It's this way." Sakura pointed her finger and started to walk towards her apartment with Sasuke in tow.