Coming Home
the letter
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I felt for sure last night that once we said goodbye,
no one else will know these lonely dreams.
No one else will know that part of me.
I'm still driving away, and I'm sorry every day.
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Standard Disclaimer Applied
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'When are these people going to learn that my job isn't to run them, just the magazine' Tenten Tanaka thought to herself, taking quick strides down the office building's hallway. She was traveling from her private office – a spacious room protected by soundproof walls – to one of the writers on the other side of the floor.
"Tenten!" someone called, sounding quite alarmed. Hardly acknowledging it, she glanced towards the source of the voice. Ah, one of the interns.
"Good evening, Lisa. Aren't you leaving soon?" Tenten kept with her quick pace, and the small blonde followed after her.
"Well, I was going to leave an hour ago, but I wanted to run something by you first. I'm not entirely sure if I--"
"Lisa, did you know that in about a year – if you last that long – you'll be wishing death threats to all the interns who come up to you with questions that could easily be asked to someone else, or better yet, not even asked at all?"
Lisa's blue eyes enlarged as comprehension of the rhetorical question came upon her.
"Oh. Right, right."
"Have a good weekend," Tenten said, looking over her shoulder slightly as Lisa fell behind. "Poor girl might just make it through the month," she mumbled under her breath. Coming across a partially opened door, she knocked on it once, and then entered.
"Oh, Tenten, thanks for coming," the writer who she had been seeking out said breathlessly, sitting at a cherry oak desk, staring at the computer in front of her. Her name was Shelby Atkins, and she was one of Porcelain Magazine's best.
"Of course. What is it?" Tending to the vulnerable and needy writers was wearisome, but would prove worth it later on.
"Two hours ago Melanie came in and told me there was an ad-shift, and now I have to get this word count up, but I'm already past the second rough draft and I don't know how to just throw in more," Shelby told her exasperatedly.
An ad-shift was when the advertisement manager – Melanie – had to change around the position or placement of the ad, for whatever reason. If the size of the ad changed, it could completely throw the set up of the issue off, and everything would have to be rearranged. Including articles.
"Let me see the first draft you sent me," Tenten ordered, taking a stand behind the writer's chair.
"Oh, but you destroyed that one…" Shelby protested slightly.
"I destroy everything you send me. Come on, pull it up."
She complied, albeit reluctantly, and the first draft of the cosmetics-related article popped up onto the screen. With the eye of a well-practiced editor, Tenten scanned over it, finding any points that could be meddled with.
"Alright, take out the statistics paragraph and put it with an asterisk at the end," she started.
"Tenten, that'll make it shorter, not longer."
She ignored Shelby. "And then elaborate on the personal experience, giving more details on the 'before' so you can work up to the 'after' more dramatically. You have flawless skin, but no one knows that, so go into the gory details."
"Oh," Shelby breathed, envisioning how the article should progress with the edit.
"Try to get this draft done by eight, I'm leaving at nine."
With that, Tenten left the small office, returning to her own to deal with the rest of the end-of-the-day phone calls that she had put off for long enough.
-x-
After paying the taxi driver her fair, Tenten entered her apartment complex, greeting the doorman with one quick smile and a forewarning that she'd be ordering Chinese.
"Of course, Ms. Tanaka. Not a surprise, really," he had said. She hardly ever went out on Friday nights, unless it was for an appearance at some trivial party or club. More to that, she wasn't quite one to cook her own meals.
Tenten collected her mail from the deskman and hastily got into the elevator that would lead her up to her room at the tenth floor, eager to get into her pajamas and rest for the night. It had been another long day – or more accurately, another long week. Just like the one before it had been, as well as the one before that and the one before that.
DING! The golden elevator opened and the stylish brunette stepped out, quickly reaching her apartment door, unlocking it, entering through it, and dumping all of her stuff down on the table right beside it. And for the next few hours she relaxed – a bath, some TV, the Chinese food that finally came.
When midnight strolled around she figured it best to turn in. After taking care of the would-be leftovers, Tenten went back towards the door of her apartment, and grabbed her purse and pile of mail. Once back in the kitchen, she began to shift through all the envelopes.
Mixed in with the bills and the junk mail, was a simple white envelope addressed to her without a return address on the top left corner. She set the other mail down, and studied the front of this one.
'Don't I know this handwriting from somewhere?' Not bothering to dwell on it anymore, she flipped it over – and was surprised to see the address written on the back of the envelope. And even more surprised to see what it read.
Sakura Uzumaki
516 Jackson Ave
Konoha, Ohio
The first thing that flew to her mind was a sarcastic comment – you mean she didn't divorce him yet? But it was quickly overridden with the emotional surge. Of course the two had ended up together. Of course they had married. Of course they would live happily, ever after. She just wasn't a part of that picture anymore. So why were they mailing her? She opened it up carefully and pulled out the letter.
Dear Tenten,
It's been awhile. Not much has changed in Konoha, but of course that isn't very surprising. With my pen scribbling across the paper right now, I so badly wish to tell you all of which has happened in the past few years. But I won't. There is something more important to deal with first.
I am aware that we were only sixteen at the time, just teenagers with no real comprehension of what had just happened and what we were doing. But I would never forgive myself if I didn't at least try to contact you. I remember the day in such perfect detail, and I know what I promised. We all made a pact, Tenten, and after all this time… he's finally coming home.
Will you?
Love always, Sakura
She had to read the letter several times before she understood what it meant. All in one large, distasteful wave had the memory crashed upon her. For so, so long she had pushed all thoughts of that pact into the depths of her mind, and suddenly Sakura was writing about it like it had just been yesterday.
'But it wasn't yesterday, it was nine years ago!'
Almost a decade had passed since she made that promise. Could it still be valid? Well, if she wanted to be honest with herself – did its validness even matter? He was coming home. He was coming back to Konoha – for the first time since his dramatic exit all those years ago. Would she go…? 'Will you?'
It didn't matter that the last time Tenten saw Sakura, her once dearest best friend, had been seven years ago on their high school graduation. She could still hear the girl's voice – woman, now – asking. 'Will you?' It would haunt her.
And not once did Tenten doubt that Sakura hadn't done it on purpose. This was as much as a sweet, innocent letter to a long lost-friend as it was a manipulative piece of paper. Tenten reread it a few more times.
'Will you?'
Well that depended on how much she could deny her curiosities – she was a journalist, whom is she kidding?! - and quell the guilt that would force its way into her mind.
'Will you?'
Tenten knew she wouldn't be sleeping well tonight.
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-x-
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Everyone deals with their nerves in a different way. For Naruto Uzumaki, it was movement. As he waited at baggage claim in the Dayton International Airport, he paced back and forth – not once sitting down and staying still. His mind was on tunnel-vision of one single fact: in just a few moments, his best friend would be coming through that gate. Those moments couldn't come fast enough.
"Naruto?"
Maybe he had been too focused on settling his anxious stomach because he hadn't even noticed the man approach him. The blonde whirled around to face the voice and set his eyes onto an all too familiar, but very different, face.
"Sasuke…"
There's a big difference between a sixteen year old boy and a twenty-five year old man. Naruto was going to have to learn to appreciate this difference – and Sasuke would have to, too. Both were looking at each other, noticing all the differences that stuck out overwhelmingly strong, as well as the subtle things that hadn't changed at all; like Naruto's wide, curious eyes or Sasuke's improper slouch with his hands positioned into his pockets.
"Sasuke!" Naruto repeated, finally over the shock. In that next second, he launched himself at the Uchiha, enveloping him in bone-crushing bear hug.
"Ugh, Naruto…" Sasuke mumbled sordidly, awkwardly pulling his hands out of his pockets, unsure what to do with them now. After a moment though, the tight grip on him was released. Naruto had on a warm, large grin.
"How you been, you bastard?" he asked excitedly.
"Good. Busy," Sasuke answered honestly.
"And you're happy? You better be happy. If you left us and you're not even happy, I'll have to hurt you," Naruto threatened. And, "Actually, I should be hurting you anyway. What the hell was all that about!?"
Sasuke had been prepared for this. When you don't even tell the person who you trust most in life with your real identity, there was bound to be problems when the truth surfaced.
"It's a long story," Sasuke said blandly.
"Yeah? Well, I've waited nine years to hear it."
-x-
Konoha was an extremely small town – the kind of town where you can't go anywhere without knowing someone, whether it was one of the check out cashiers at the small supermarket, or one of the teachers at the town's kindergarten through 12th grade school.
For as long as any of them could remember, it had been the seven of them. Naruto, the hyperactive jokester. Sakura, the sweet and polite girl who had been everyone's favorite. Sasuke, the quiet and stern one no one really understood. Tenten, the sharp and calculative brat. Shikamaru, the overly intelligent lazy-ass. Neji, the serious and focused athlete. And Hinata, the shy and reserved peacemaker.
Everything they thought they knew had been thrown up in the air when Sasuke Uchiha turned out to be an Uchiha. The last name hadn't been a coincidence. They had all been sophomores when one day he was there, and the next he wasn't. It was very likely that the world had stopped – and then right after, turned upside down.
Tenten had been absolutely furious with Naruto, positive that he knew something that none of the others did. Just that one notion had split the group into different parts. It took weeks before they were all calm and collected enough to sit and talk to each other. And by then, they had all seen the news. Sasuke Uchiha, heir of the Uchiha Corporation – finally taken out of a well hidden home so he could attend a fancy boarding school in Switzerland where he would learn anything and everything about business managing. Sasuke, of Konoha – a town of just one square mile - was now all across the news, papers, and magazines. Perhaps what hurt the most was that none of what they learned had actually come from him.
Life moved on – just like it always would. But things had been wounded forever, and it would never be the same as before. They were meant to be seven, not six. Sasuke's absence was always a gaping hole.
Eight years and ten months later, Sasuke emailed Naruto. How he had gotten the email and why he had even done it were two questions that hadn't yet been answered. But they could both wait. For now, everyone – excluding Tenten – had hope that maybe his return would fix those barely patched holes. Yes, it was more than one now. Because Tenten had left too. And they often wondered which of the two was the most unreachable.
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-x-
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It had been awhile since Tenten had left New York City. Really left, at least. There had been conferences in Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, LA, and even Paris. However, this was different. She had taken a week off of at work – which, only meant from actually attending the office. They'd still be calling her at all hours of the day, for the most miniscule of reasons. Of course.
Now she was boarding a plane to Dayton, a place she hadn't been to in seven years. The air would be crisper, not hazy from smog or pollution. It would be quiet too, since there'd be no city traffic. And it would be green, very green – beautiful, maybe.
She hadn't even responded back to Sakura. Sure, her flight was booked, as was her place at the closest hotel to Konoha, but she hadn't yet called the woman. How do you tell your old best friend that you're coming back to welcome home another abandoner, but wouldn't even show up for the most important day of her life – her wedding? Tenten wasn't usually the type to avoid a situation. She faced it head on, squashed it, and then dealt with it. Things with Konoha and its people were different though. It was her weakness, a part of her that could never grow strong. Walking straight towards such a thing, as if inviting the fragility to hit her all at once, made her uncomfortable as well as wary. All she could hope for was that her vow, to not let anything touch her once more, would be strong enough.
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