10 years ago, as Sasuke Uchiha walked home to his family for the last time, he felt everything an 8 year old boy should. Excited and confident, but still shy, always hungry and eager to ask his big brother to train. 72 hours later after agony; cold, bitter betrayal and the realization that love could turn into powerful hate the youngest Uchiha decided (in a very conscious decision, made with logic and harsh realism) that he would never feel again. When he was thirteen, he felt his barriers crack a little (with every grinning insult hurled at him, with every masked smile from his sensei, with friendship. But for the raven haired prodigy with fearsome eyes and power, the promise he made to himself could never be broken. So he left.
10 years ago, Naruto Uzumaki gave up. The cursed boy was tired of putting on a brave face, hidden by false arrogance and stupidity, then coming home (if that's what he could call a place with no family, no love) and crying over just how much it hurt. When he was thirteen, Naruto stopped his charade, and when looking at his rival (best friend, lover) and the pink haired girl who smiled at him like he wasn't a beast, and a sensei who taught him everything about a shinobi and more about life, he saw then, there is no pain as great as a family being ripped apart.
10 years ago, Sakura Haruno felt weak. Beauty, she was taught, was an essential part of being a kunoichi (of fulfilling her dream). Her forehead, blown out of proportion by self-concious hate from herself and her classmates, was her greatest obstacle. At the Academy, she hid behind bangs, and intelligence and didn't hope. Ino helped her grow out of the shell, and Naruto (without even knowing it) brought back some confidence. Sasuke Uchiha, as she so blindly saw his, was beauty. And in that, redemption. But when her best friend and her hero faced off on a rooftop (under which she worked for years later) that confidence broke a bit. And when Sakura Haruno couldn't stop Sasuke Uchiha from leaving, she lost EVERYTHING. But really, nothing at all.
A tall, blond shinobi in an unusually somber outfit of regular ANBU gear entered the small and otherwise empty teahouse in Wind Country. "Teme, must have some good contacts," Naruto thought to himself, the teahouse was upscale and expensive looking, with silk pictures lining the walls and polished bamboo tables. Dainty glass trinkets lined the faux-thatched roof. An elderly woman rushed out to greet the Konoha ninja.
"Uzumaki-san?" She asked anxiously. Her gray bun was perfectly set and she wore an old-style kimono, deep navy blue with embroidery that looked like clams on it. "Uchiha-sama asks for you to wait here until he arrives." She looked around Naruto quickly "I believe he was expecting two guests ….?" Naruto laughed
"Yeah, she'll be here soon." His blue eyes crinkled with his smile as if remembering some memory. The elderly woman nodded
"Hisoka!" she called towards the double doors from where she entered, "Bring Uchiha-samas guest some tea." She bowed slightly towards Naruto. "I'll go tell him you've arrived." Naruto's smile grew slightly wider, of course the teme would make their meeting place an old Uchiha restaurant. It was a common occurrence for wealthy clans to spread their influence by discreetly buying restaurants and shops. He knew that the Third had closed down most of the Uchiha-managed businesses after the massacre, but influence lived on. Another woman walked into the dining room, her steps small and wavering as if she was scared to be in the presence of a ninja. Naruto assumed she was Hisoka, as she was carrying a tray of food precariously. She set it in front of him with saying a word and practically ran back. The shinobi flipped his hair out of his eyes and looked down at the food eagerly; teme wouldn't poison him, even if this was their first live encounter in over five years, and on the tray, along with more conventional tea snacks, was a large bowl of ramen. Naruto didn't even smile when he saw the bowl, but the corner of his mouth pulled up into a victorious smirk. He didn't have any more regrets about lying his way out of Konoha for this mysterious meeting.
Sasuke stared at the doorframe which Hisoka's grandmother had just left through, informing him of Narutos arrival. He wasn't nervous to meet his old teammates, after all it was he did send for them but Sasuke had no idea how to act with at this reunion. Shaking his head slightly he strode through the door and down the teahouse hallway to the dining room. He entered and Naruto looked up, and then jumped to his feet
"Teme!" He greeted enthusiastically, "fancy meeting you here." Sasuke raised his eyebrows at the less then unique greeting but he couldn't help an invisible smile at seeing his old friend. "Anyways, glad you lost that Oto outfit, you looked perfectly abnormal"
"Dobe. At least I didn't wear bright orange for the first 17 years of my life," Sasuke retorted as he sat down across from Naruto.
"Don't deny it, you looked … even Sakura-chan was a bit weirded out"
"Where is she? She's ten minutes late" Sasuke glanced at the clock. It wasn't crucial that the meeting started soon, but he would prefer that it ended soon. Naruto leaned back
"What is going on, Sasuke? You realize Sak and I had to lie to Kakashi and the Hokage to get to Wind Country. Not that we had much choice according to your freaky little snake friend"
"It's important" Sasuke muttered as he adjusted his robes. The door to the teahouse swung open and Sakura strode in. Naruto grinned at her and Sasuke couldn't help but staring for a few moments. She looked taller, slightly leaner and more dangerous judging by the ANBU tattoo on her arm. Her pink hair was in loosely held French braid at her back and her specialized medic outfit matched Naruto in somberness and black color. Sakuras eyes were hidden by her bangs but she swept them out of the way as she made her way to Narutos side. Sasuke stood up in an almost mocking type of greeting and their eyes met, brilliant green against onyx. She broke the contact with a blink and sat down.
"Nice to see you again, Sasuke" she said smoothly and then she paused. "Well, I'm glad you changed your uniform from last time, but why are you wearing an Akatsuki cloak?"
A/N
Eeeegh. I'm horrible, I know. The first italicized section will make sense later in the story. And why Team Sevens reunion isn't so dramatic and filled with tears is that (as you will find out) Sasuke hasn't been completely out of contact. I know we haven't met Itachi yet, but he is a huge part of the story, I'm still trying to decide between SasuSaku or ItaSaku ^^ If you think chapters should be shorter or longer please tell me