Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto-sama does.

Rain

It was raining that day. Just like the other days that week. Raining since she'd opened her eyes in the morning. Raining when she closed her eyes, falling asleep. Raining all day long and never stopping. Of course, the weather didn't change when she decided to go there.

So she was standing at Hyũga Neji's grave under a big, black umbrella of hers. She crouched to put two roses on the stone, when she noticed that one of them had one of its leaves slightly torn. She stood up, deciding to leave only one of the flowers. It would be rude to honor his memory with such a mediocrity, right?

She took a few steps, then turned around and looked at the grave once again. Her fair-pink offering was hardly seen from the ocean of other flowers. She smiled sadly and left the graveyard. As she was slowly walking home, avoiding the biggest puddles of water, she remembered the events of the last few weeks. The end of the war. Death of so many friends. Pain, loud cries and sorrow. Sasuke-kun's comeback. Euphoria and then hesitation. Is he still the same Sasuke-kun they'd known? Would it be like in the past?

She stumbled over something and took a look around. At face value, she didn't even know where she was. The village covered in the curtain of water looked like some other, unknown place, uninhabited and frigid. She then looked right and noticed a neglected gate in the distance. She shivered, remembering what happened almost nine years earlier in the Uchiha district. She hesitated, rain pattering on the fabric above her head. She then turned right and slowly approached the abandoned place.

The police tape went up when she entered. She then stood there, unsure what she wanted to do by coming there. She took a few unsteady steps and assured her gait when she decided to trust her instinct. She chose the right path and went along it. Passing dark houses with their paint coming off, some buckets and brooms left on the ground, she couldn't dispose of the feeling that she was not welcome there in the first place. But there she walked, trying not to think about the people that had lived there not so long ago, about their dreams left unfulfilled, their loves abandoned, their lives ended.

With a surprise, she found what she'd been looking for. A graveyard. She entered and noticed a dark figure standing above one of the graves. She then smelled the incense's smoke and looked down. A quiet sound of shock left her lips when she noticed the tombs. All of them were clean and well cared-of. There were incenses and white chrysanthemums on ever single one of them. The man in the middle of the venue raised his head gustily, hearing the sound.

"What are you doing here?" a sharp voice called to Sakura. She slowly approached him. Sasuke was soaking wet, his eyes narrowed, looking at her with mistrust. She lowered her eyes and looked at the grave he was standing above. Uchiha Itachi.

"He did it for the sake of peace of this village" she remembered Sasuke's words "He sacrificed himself to help every one of you. All he's done was to avoid the other people's misery" she couldn't forget Sasuke's face from when he had been telling this. That moment, he'd hesitated and his face'd shown his real, usually hidden deep inside of him, sorrow.

He'd then retrieved his emotionless mask and finished "And even though I hated him, he's made his life my lesson. He taught me how to be strong. I am who I am thanks to him..." Sakura lifted her umbrella and hurled it into Sasuke's hand.

"What are you-?" he watched with incomprehension as she crouched and made a flower in her hand visible. She peeled the measly leaf away and put the rose on the stone.

"I'm sorry" quiet words reached his ears "I'm sorry that it's not like it should be, Itachi-san" she said, rain starting to fall on her. Sasuke moved the umbrella to be above her and listened to her words with astonishment.

"Thank you... Thank you for all you've done for us. For the village... For it's people, right?" First tear fell down her cheek, blending with water dribbling from her hair.

"And thank you for being there for Sasuke-kun, for... For protecting him when we weren't there" she smiled "Thank you for it all. I'm sorry you can't be with us anymore, but... We'll never forget what you've done... I'll never forget" she touched the stone tenderly. Sasuke watched with shock as she stood up and rubbed her eyes. Was she crying? A member of Senjũ clan crying for an Uchiha? Yeah, right, they were all telling him that the clans were equal, but this...

"Sakura..." She lifted her head, hearing him say her name. Amazement welcomed her face when she noticed a delicate smile making his features even more beautiful. He parted his lips, looking at his brother's resting place. "Thank you..."

And the rain kept pouring down, as two people stood side by side in the middle of the Uchiha's graveyard.

ZJeM, 15.07.2013

From author:

T^T Why have Sasuke-kun had to lose his brother? Itachi-san, we want you back! T^T

And, btw, it was supposed to be slightly Sasusaku. ;P

Oooh, I think I've just made a present for Sasuke-kun's BD on the 23rd! XD Happy birthday, Sasuke-kun! :D