Restoration

 

 Shizune looked around the main house of the Uchiha compound. The interior was more western inspired than she had remembered – she came here once to deliver medical supplies from Tsunade before they left. The shoji screens were replaced by off-white drywall, the polished hardwood floors remained the same, with a few homey area rugs scattered about. All in all, it looked like a normal lived in home. “This is a nice place... different than what I remember.”

Sasuke moved to sit down in the living room, flexing his newly enlivened arm. “I asked the remodelers to change everything... it cost a ton,” he paused and turned on the TV. “Didn't want to be reminded of the past.”

Shizune nodded. She knew it would be painful for him to stay here with the constant reminder that his family was gone. That's why she left Konoha so eagerly with Tsunade after her uncle had died. She could understand to some extent. She loved her uncle Dan very much, and the constant reminder that he died for Konoha was too much. She needed some space.

“I'm not making you dinner if that's what you're waiting for... I'm tired.”

“Whatever, I can cook myself,” he kept clicking buttons on the remote, apparently there wasn't anything on TV. “Go to sleep if you're tired.”

Shizune looked at him confused and slightly suspicious. She figured that she may have been brought here to cook for him – not that he knew if she was a good cook... which she was. But if that wasn't the case, then why on earth did he drag her to the Uchiha compound if he was just now ordering her to go to sleep? She could have very well done that at her own apartment.

“Um... okay,” Shizune turned around and was about to leave the compound when Sasuke, who had gotten up from the sofa, grabbed her arm gently.

“Where are you going?”

“Home...”

“I didn't bring you all the way here – with a fucked up arm I might add – for you to go back home.” he pulled her to the living room and sat down with her at his side, “Sleep on my lap.”

“No...”

“Come on, you're tired,” he raised his legs up on the coffee table.

“O-okay... as long as no one else sees,” Shizune timidly rested her head on his lap, lying on her side away from him and looking at the TV. “This is kind of... comfortable.”

Suddenly the door burst open, revealing Naruto in his black and red sage robes over the ever present orange and black track suit he used to wear. Right behind him was Hinata, dressed modestly in a purple polo and jean skirt. She seemed to be less enthusiastic than her husband.

“Teme!” Naruto entered the living room only to stop at the sight of Sasuke sitting at the sofa with Shizune's head on his lap, his hand in her short black hair.

“Uchiha-san, forgive us for barging in.”

“T-the Hokage?” Shizune's eyes widened and she abruptly sat up.

“Hinata... Dobe,” he greeted, still not looking up at them. He was a little peeved that he had lost contact with Shizune's silky hair.

“Is that any way greet your Hokage?” Naruto sat in an armchair beside the sofa and leaned in to give Sasuke some papers. “You know, when you came into my office asking for a marriage license, I was a little skeptical.”

“Excuse me? Marriage?” “Please tell me he just wants me to be a bridesmaid at the wedding... please--”

“Yeah, didn't he tell you?”

“Why would he tell me?”

“I-I'm sorry Shizune-sensei... I tried to talk them out of it,” Hinata stood there, pressing her fingers together. Though she had gained confidence, she never quite got rid of her habit of playing with her fingers when nervous.

“So,” Shizune's eyes narrowed in anger. “This is a joke... I knew it,” she scoffed and started to stand up from the sofa. Her outward demeanor seemed to be pissed, but inside she was somewhat hurt. It felt nice to be wanted, even if the man before her demanded her presence and their brief time together was so many kinds of awkward. Sasuke grabbed her arm for what seemed to be the millionth time that day, pulling her down to the sofa.

“I already told you, it's not a joke,” Sasuke pushed the papers into her hand and slightly smirked as her wide black eyes scanned over the marriage papers. “All you have to do is sign the line.”

Shizune was shocked. Here she thought he only wanted a date – she was trying to ignore that fact that he mentioned her being the matriarch of his clan – but now, presented with a marriage contract, it was all becoming too overwhelming.

“Why?”

“Because, we'll be married if you do,” Sasuke said calmly. His hand reached toward the discarded remote and turned off the TV. He didn't feel like watching anything anymore.

“No, I mean... why me?”

“You kidding me?” Naruto looked at her with a big grin on his face. “He had this huge crush on you!”

“Naruto...”

“When he came back, he kept asking me about you, and whenever we had to report to Tsunade-baachan, he would keep looking at you like he wanted to–”

“Dobe,” Sasuke wished Naruto had a muzzle.

“What Sasuke-teme?”

“Get... out...” he glared at the Hokage, clenching his fists in the process and making a huge dent in the remote.

Hinata saw that Sasuke was beyond pissed and decided to step in. “Naruto, maybe we should go home.”

“Oh and Shizune... I'll give you a week off so you can spend time with your hus –”

“N-Naruto, let's go,” the young medic-nin dragged the Hokage out of the house.

Shizune just sat there switching her glance from the papers and Sasuke. Her trance was broken when she heard the loud slam of the door. “What now?”

“We have that date.”

---

 

Shizune lay in bed in her apartment, looking up at the ceiling. The marriage papers were sitting on her desk. She was allowed to come home after their date, which consisted of a home cooked meal by Sasuke – it was amazingly delicious. After dinner, he told her to think about signing the papers and she was just thankful that he wasn't forcing a marriage on her. But what she couldn't keep off her mind was what happened later, once he had walked her home. She asked him if everything Naruto had said was true, he responded with a gruff 'yeah' which surprised her. She had absolutely no idea that he felt like that three years ago – he kept it well hidden.

He didn't mention the dirty things I wanted to do to you...

That just kept ringing in her head. It was one thing to know that the village's young ex-traitor had a crush on her... but to lust after her? It was exciting really.

“It's always the quiet ones.” She remembered an incident where she had walked in on Hinata and Naruto during lunch in the hospital. Hinata was just starting out as her student and Naruto was being trained by Tsunade to take up the Hokage name and were both heavily making out in the janitor's closet. The noises were enough to have Shizune investigate. Luckily she was the only one who had found them.

“What's always the quiet ones?”

Shizune abruptly sat up in bed, grasping the midnight blue covers to her chest. It was dark, but her eyes had long since adjusted to the lack of light. “S-Sasuke... what are you doing here?”

He just shrugged and sat on her bed, kicking off his shoes. “Couldn't sleep.”

“Well, you're not sleeping here,” she tried pushing him off of her bed, the sheets sliding down to her waist in the process.

“Hey...” he whined uncharacteristically then turned his head toward her, his expression immediately changed at the sight of the thin white tank top concealing her breasts. They weren't too large – he wasn't into that – nor too small... he'd say just perfect.

“Get off my bed Uchiha.”

“No chance,” he lie back on the unused side of the bed, putting his hands behind his head and giving her a grin.

She pushed the covers off of her and stood up, looking down at him with narrowed eyes gleaming with something he couldn’t quite place in the dark. “Stay right there.”

Sasuke's grin deepened as he could now see her whole body. “Damn,” he thought, his eyes roaming from the tank top to the modest shorts that stopped mid-thigh, exposing more of her creamy legs to him. She had given him more of a show when she turned around, seductively wiggling her hips, bringing his attention to her luscious, firm, ass until she disappeared into the hallway.

He closed his eyes, happily replaying the little moment in his head when suddenly...

“Shit!”

Shizune stood there, a smirk on her face and a now empty bucket that contained cold water held at her hip. “Oh, I'm so sorry Uchiha.”

He shot her a mischievous glare and quickly pulled her onto him. Her hands were on either side of him and she tried to get away, but his grip on her waist was too tight. “And what did you think that was going to do... aside from wet your sheets,” a hand slipped its way into her tight tank top and started to caress her back.

“Stop it.”

“I don't think you want me to--”

She slapped him as hard as she could and scrambled off the bed, landing on the carpeted floor with a soft thud then, just as quickly, standing up and fixing her tank top over her exposed stomach. “I am not your whore Uchiha...”

“I didn't say you were--”

“Let me finish,” she growled. If Sasuke were surprised, he didn't show it. “Do you think that I'm so desperate for a husband? A family? Because if I were, I would have signed that marriage certificate in a heartbeat, but I didn't... why? Because I can't marry someone who doesn't love me!”

Sasuke smirked at her and decided to sit up, crossing his legs over the wet mattress. “You think I don't love you?”

“What?” she was a bit surprised to say the least. How could he love her if he hardly knew her? She just found out about his crush on her today... er... last night.

He stood up from the bed, backing her up into a wall. He placed both hands at either side of her head and leaned in just enough for her to hear him as he whispered. “You remember the first few days after I came back? How you were assigned to heal me? At first I thought you were annoying, just like Sakura and Ino, or those young female genin, but I started falling for you. I even let Naruto beat me once and a while just so I could see you.”

Shizune looked up at him surprised at what he was saying. She couldn't help but feel somewhat prideful that she was the one that interested Konoha's hearthrob.

“I always tried to drag out our meetings with the Hokage so I could sit next to you, I know it sounds stupid,” his hands cupped her face, thumbs caressing either cheek.

“Sasuke...” her hands timidly raised up to his own face, mimicking his actions. It was a heartfelt confession and maybe, just maybe, she could learn to love him as well. “I... I had no idea.”

He gave her the first genuine smile she had ever seen him give anyone. “Of course you didn't... you're about as oblivious as Naruto.”

Shizune smiled right back at him, caressing his cheek and looking deep in his eyes. She could see the desire and love reflected back at her. “I... care for you... but I don't know if it's love... I'd like to see if it... if we... could become something more though.”

Sasuke leaned into her face, nuzzling his cheek against hers, “That's all I ask.”

“What about the marriage papers?”

“There's that too...” he kissed her cheek. “If you are going to be the Uchiha matriarch, it would be best for us to be married... but we'll cross that bridge when it's time.”

Shizune nodded, “Now, I need to go to bed. Naruto may have given me the week off for some insane reason, but I still have a long day ahead of me.”

“Agreed,” he pulled away from her, kissing her ear before he did, and started to follow her into the living room.

“I'M going to sleep on the couch. You're welcome to sleep on the wet bed...”

“Or... we can both go to my place,” he said suggestively.

“Sasuke...”

“The main house has five rooms, and if you still think that's too close, you can take one of the remodeled family houses.”

“I think I'll take my chances on the couch,” she grabbed a few sheets from the linen closet.

“Hm,” Sasuke gave her a kiss before standing at her windowsill, “I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Sasuke, please use the front door. The neighbors will start talking.”

He smirked and just lifted his legs through the window. “Let them talk.”

---

 

Man, time for bed. Sorry if Sasuke seems OOC and again sorry that it took me so long to update. I do like this story and intend on finishing it, but ideas for it haven't really been coming to me lately.

Oh, and thanks for the reviews.