Summary: Sasuke has been gone for a number of years. The village is functioning, until one day it hits a problem when distant memories collide with the present. What does this mean for some of the villagers? Eventual SasuXSaku.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters/ideas sigh, I wish I did

A/n: Hey you guys, this is Kakashis-girl02!! Well, this is my first fanfic. I'm about to hyperventilate hoping you guys will like my story. Sigh, hope you enjoy it.
Kakashis-girl02

Welcome Home?

Today was the day, the day that HE left. Every Konoha shinobi knew of him. He was listed as an S-class criminal in the bingo book. His name was only uttered to remind those young shinobi of his treason; Uchiha Sasuke.

Apologetic glances, remorseful words, Haruno Sakura had been receiving these pitiful gestures all day. A fragile cherry blossom, ready to let go of the clinging branch. That's what they thought she was; weak, fragile, and insecure. She had to escape this torture. She had to run. With every step she took, she was trying to escape the fleeting sense of self-pity and grief. But you can't outrun your misery, at least not for long.

Her lush pink hair was flowing behind her back, shimmering in the wind. She was intentionally putting chakra in her steps to escape the city, and escape her misery. The young kunoichi's deep emerald orbs were brimming with unwanted tears. She thought of them as a reminder of her vulnerability. Weakling, she smite herself. That's what you always have and always will be.

She gave an involuntary shudder. No one could understand the pain she was in. The pain she never showed. She was always optimistic and bright on the outside, but internally hurting. She thought of the cornerstone of shinobi foundation. Never under any circumstances should a shinobi show emotion. With every bound and, leap she was entering more wild terrain. The forest was getting think and dense. Her legs were beginning to prick and burn. They were on the verge of going numb. Maybe I can numb my feelings; maybe I can forget I ever loved him! With that thought, the tears started streaming down her face. How fitting was it that it was raining on such a miserable day. She thought of her friends and family, what would they think if she "accidentally" got lost, venturing into unknown land? No, she thought, that just shows them that you are weak, you're stronger than they care to think or know. Only one person knew her that well, Naruto.

Naruto gave Hinata a kiss on the cheek.
"I'm going to check on Sakura-chan," he murmured.

"Give her my regards."

Naruto gave her a thoughtful glance.
"No," he replied,"Sakura-chan is strong. If there's one thing I know, she doesn't need people's condolences. Even I was wrong to think that."

She smiled, and he headed out the door.

Naruto gave a sigh and headed towards his best friend's apartment. These last few years had been kind of hard for her; Naruto was the only one to notice. He could sense that she wasn't there. He sniffed the air. An unfamiliar aroma lingered in the air, one that he hadn't smelled in a while. Her chakra was heading away from Konoha, into the forest.
"Kuso," he mumbled and ran a hand through his spiky blonde hair. He could taste the pain on her chakra and smell the tears. Why is HE still giving her all of this trouble? Sakura had opened up to Naruto after their comrade had left. He was the only one who knew what she was going through, since he endured that same cruel feeling as a child. Naruto and Sakura shared a bond. Not like his love for Hinata, but a brother sister love. They respected each other. They knew their strengths, weaknesses, and limits. That man Sasuke had broke her heart. If he ever stepped foot in Konoha, he didn't know how to make him pay. Days on end after he left, Naruto cared for Sakura. They created that bond then, no one could break it; not even the Uchiha.

The rain had been falling steady for a while now. It did not look as if it would let go of its rein any time soon. Finally, Sakura stopped running. She couldn't take it. She collapsed to her knees with a sound of defeat. She was panting and was in agony. Her never ending tears mingled with the rain on her face. Why couldn't he have stayed with me? I would have done anything for him to stay, anything. Did he not know that? It was his cold-blooded brother's entire fault. Sasuke had once told Sakura the story; the story of a killer, Uchiha Itachi.

Flashback

Sasuke was sitting with Sakura on Team 7's training grounds. He was reliving his past. He was reliving the most painful memory of his life.
"That night I came home--- I came home to find my parents dead, in their own puddles of crimson blood.

I was panicking. I had to find my brother. Finally I found him.
'Why, why did you do it, Itachi?'

'I did it, to test my capacity, little brother.'"

"My brother," he exclaimed," exterminated the legendary Uchiha clan, to test his capacity!" his voice rose to a crescendo.

He slammed an angry fist down.
"I will avenge my clan, and I will killed my so called brother Itachi."
Sasuke was shaking with anticipation and excitement.
"So does that mean that you will leave, Sasuke?"

He spared her no glance.
"Yes, Sakura, one day I have to leave."

She looked at him with eyes alight with worry.

"Why? Why can't you just train here and get stronger, there is so much more for you here!"

"Don't you see, Sakura? I have NOTHING here. You guys are the ones that make me weak, you guys pull me down. Orochimaru left me with a promise. I will get stronger under his supervision."
"You're wrong about one thing, Sasuke. You have something here, me."

End Flashback

He left me, because he's an avenger, she thought. He left me, because he needed power from the legendary Sannin, Orochimaru. What if Itachi had never killed his family? Would Sasuke be happy, and would he still be here? And still with me? She sighed. No, she thought, I was always a nuisance. Always needing rescuing, holding everyone down. While wallowing in her self-pity, the flowers danced. They formed the image of a face, a face missing from the village of Konoha for years, the face of Sasuke. Ever since the day Sasuke left, Sakura saw him everywhere. His memory tormented. He was like a ghost, waiting for its life's mystery to be solved to go to the light in the sky. The night that Sasuke left, he took no personal belongings with him. What he didn't know was that he took Sakura's heart with him. Lost in the vacuums of time, Sakura failed to someone coming behind her. It was someone she knew very well.

A/n: Cliffie, I know. I will try to update by next Monday. Well, hoped you liked it. I am open to any comments or criticism from you guys. I would love to hear what you guys think I can improve on and what you think of my story. I've been on Fanfiction for a while reading stories. Well, until next time you guys.
Kakashis-girl02