A/N: I kind of got the inspiration for this from Hello by Adele, but then I just kinda went off track and lost it. I'll title this Hello, but just as a disclaimer, I don't own Naruto or the characters, nor do I own the song. It all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Adele.
The world seems dead as everything falls silent. Dust clouds form in the air around him as his feet kick up sand from the ground beneath his worn out sandals. The air around him is as ominous as the color of the brown, almost green skies above his head. Wind picks up intensely as he continues his track toward the village gates.
It has been two years since Sasuke had last seen these giant wooden doors. Two years since he'd last seen past these gates. Two years since he'd set off on his redemption journey. Two years since the day that he had indirectly admitted to Sakura that he reciprocated her feelings.
And, undoubtedly, two years since he broke her heart by leaving yet again.
The air dies down as he stops in front of the village gates, the dead feeling inside of him fleeing and yet becoming stronger all in one. He had missed so much on his journey, from what Naruto had sent him in a letter, many things have changed. He and Sakura being the only ones unmarried now... Or so, he was assuming.
He felt a burning feeling in his chest at the thought that Sakura very well may have not waited on him. Maybe she had finally realized, after almost a decade, that she was too good for him. Someone like her didn't need to stoop to love someone like him. In those two years he'd been gone, she'd stopped answering his letters. He had kept sending them in hopes that Sakura would respond, that she would understand that he was sorry – that he had planned on coming back for her.
Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed deeply as the village gates opened, revealing his home.
Naruto's birthday was this week and he had no idea the Uchiha was showing up for the occasion. Which meant neither did Sakura, unless she was in fact reading the letters and just not responding. He would be lying if he said it didn't kill him inside to know that Sakura had possibly ignored him, though he couldn't say he didn't deserve it. He just never expected it from her of all people, but everyone has their breaking point, he supposed, and who was he to ask her to wait on him after chasing him all of those years?
Which is exactly why he needed to see her before anyone else. Nobody knew he was coming, so if he was quiet enough, nobody would see him. And if she had in fact read the last letter he'd ever sent her, she'd know where to find him. He could see her, no interruptions, no way for her to ignore him this time. He could congratulate her on her new relationship, if that had in fact been her reason for not replying.
He grabbed at his chest at this thought and took another deep breath as he stepped inside the village gates, walking toward the the guards. "Naruto is to be surprised by my presence this week, nobody is to know I'm here," Sasuke explained flatly. The guard of the gate nodded once and pointed to the east part of the village. "He doesn't usually take this route. I'm sure someone else will find you eventually, unless—"
Before he could finish, Sasuke had already began his travel to the eastern side of the village, jumping swiftly and quietly from rooftop to rooftop, hiding occasionally when he saw one of his old classmates. He jumped suddenly from the last roof before walking a bit through a forest-like area, headed toward the training ground where he, Naruto and Sakura had first trained as a team. He chuckled slightly at the thought of Kakashi's silly bell test. He'd been the closest one to getting one of the bells that day, Sakura and Naruto nowhere near. It was crazy how much they had all grown in the time since that day.
Sasuke found himself finally breaking through the little bit of trees left, entering the little plain where he had fought Kakashi all those years ago. As he walked, everything seemed to happen in slow motion.
The sky was even darker now as he walked further into the open area, toward where he hoped she was. His heart raced at the thought of her being here so near to him. His pace began to pick up by the second until he was in a full-fledged sprint. So close, he was so close to seeing her, so close to seeing those eyes that would turn his world upside down. So close to seeing his old teammate and friend, so close to seeing this person who decided to stop at nothing to bring him back to the light. He skid to a stop, and squint his eyes as dirt clouds surrounded him as his feet dug into the sand.
Sasuke opened his eyes slowly as the cloud of dust faded away. A strong gust of wind picked up then, making the hair under his cloth hat blow around crazily, his clothes rippling to the rhythm of the wind. Leaves blew in front of his face, making it even harder to see, especially through the bangs that already blocked his vision.
But there she was...
His breath hitched in his throat as he saw her standing there just a few feet in front of him. She was just as slender as he remembered, but her curves were more pronounced now. Sasuke's heart stopped as Sakura slowly reached her hand up to catch the hair that kept her face from being seen and pulled it back behind her ear, revealing green eyes that could make any man fall in love.
She was here, which meant she had read the letters, after all.
"Sasuke-kun," Sakura whispered, her voice shaking.
Sasuke stood still, staring at his teammate. She was even "More beautiful than I remembered..." Sasuke coughed and scratched the back of his head. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. But as he sees the tears start to brim at the corner of her eyes, the thought leaves his mind.
"You stopped writing me back..." His voice cracked. He cleared his throat, trying to rid himself of the growing lump. He looked to her hand then to see a piece of paper crumpled in her hand.
"Sasuke, I—"
"So it's true... You've found someone else."
Sakura's entire demeanor dropped, her emotion showing anger. "How the hell would I do that? Have I not made my feelings for you clear enough?" She bit back.
"You haven't written me back in almost two years, Sakura!" This was it. This was the moment Sasuke waited for, and yet this is nothing at all like how he'd pictured it. Never in his younger ages would he have thought that this kunoichi would have so much power over him and his emotions.
"Sasuke! Listen to me!" Sakura pleaded. "It's not my fault. Please, hear me out." When all Sasuke did was stare back blankly, Sakura took her chance to speak.
"I haven't been receiving your letters, either. My father hasn't been very accepting of this whole thing." She began. "When I was younger my parents thought I would get over my infatuation with you, but when you left and my feelings only grew they worried for me. But then time moved on and you decided you were going to make things right, and you told me you reciprocated my love. My mother was happy for us, but my father couldn't stand the thought of me being with someone who had hurt me."
"But you're here now," Sasuke stated his obvious confusion.
He watched as Sakura began to play with her fingers, the way she always did when she became nervous. "He came to my apartment yesterday and told me the truth: that he'd been taking my mail and reading it, not telling me you were writing."
There was a silence that coated the air as Sasuke tried to process Sakura's words.
"But, why did he tell you? Why now?"
Sakura smiled sadly, Sasuke's curiosity clearly striking some kind of emotion inside her. She opened the letter she had kept in her balled up fist, and Sasuke swallowed deeply as he saw Sakura's cheeks begin to grow a warm shade of pink.
And she began to read his words aloud.
"You haven't written me in over a year and a half now, but I cannot stop writing you. I cannot stop telling you how sorry I am for everything that I've done. I cannot stop chasing after you because you never quit chasing after me. And I cannot quit loving you, because you never quit loving me. At least, for what I know.
You may have moved on, and for that, I cannot blame you. And, though it will hurt like hell, if you find someone who gives you all the attention I was never able to give you, who will love you in the way you always wanted, then I am happy for you. All I want is for you to be happy."
Sakura's gaze left the wrinkled paper to meet Sasuke's eyes staring back. She could tell his attention was intent, his body tense with anticipation. He was hanging on her every word.
She didn't need him to say he loved her – she could tell in the change of demeanor. The way he reserved a special look just for her. The way he sprinted all the way here just to meet her before anyone else... The way he continued to write to her, desperate for a response.
"Because he knows now," Sakura explained to him, her voice shaking as the lump in her throat grew. "He knows that nobody could love me as selflessly as you do."
The weight of Sakura's words slammed heavily into Sasuke, a lump forming in his own throat at the gravity of her father's epiphany. If he were being honest, it almost felt like an epiphany of his own. Though, he could say one thing was for sure, he certainly had never felt like his love for Sakura was selfless. It had been anything but that, to be exact. All the years she chased after him while he chased after his own agenda, searching for something that was out of grasp, when all the while she had been the most perfect example of what a completely selfless love looked like. He had tried to take her life on multiple occasions, yet somehow each time she saw him she loved him more. Sasuke would never understand how someone as pure as her could love someone with a past like his, but he wouldn't ever argue with it. Because, he loved her selfishly. He wanted her to be his, and he wanted her to be happy, and though he would be happy for her if she found someone else, by some odd miracle, she didn't want anyone else but him. So he would stay quiet and let her love him the way he wanted her to, the way that came so naturally to her. He knew he had loved Sakura, but he never knew just how much until she was here in front of him. His memories of her were so damn beautiful, and yet they did absolutely no justice to this flawless being before his mismatched eyes.
"Oh, Sasuke-kun," she finally cried as she ran to him, gripping him tightly in her arms. Tears were streaming down her face as sobs ripped from her throat. "I've missed you so much," he heard her say between sobs.
He placed his arm around her then as he pulled her tightly to his chest, letting her cry into him. They stood there like this momentarily, and when Sakura pulled back a little to look up at Sasuke, his heart began thumping against his ribcage as he realized how close she actually was.
"I thought you had gotten tired of me... Or found someone else," Sakura whispered. Her eyes began to reflect the worry she felt inside of her.
Sasuke smirked as he looked down at her. "Hn. Annoying," he mumbled as he bent down to meet his lips to hers. A peace swept across his body the moment his lips met Sakura's, and he knew that no matter where he went from here on, Sakura would always be his home.
A/N: I will be updating The Plan of Purpose soon, so don't kill me! But life lately has been super hectic. There will most likely be another oneshot soon, which I will also explain there why I haven't been writing much. So please keep your eyes peeled for that! I love every reader and your dedication so much. Thank you!