THERE AND EVERYWHERE
Over the years, he had become less tangible.
As if, over the years, he didn't quite exist anymore.
As if everything that had been related to him vanished into the past. As if every single memory, good or bad, had been made up by some kind of wicked imagination.
Whenever Sakura thought of him, a strange emptiness invaded her. She had begun to think of him as someone who passed away, someone who could never really be there anymore.
But then she would see the picture, their team's picture, carefully placed on her dresser, and she would softly wipe off the dust of the frame, even thought there were never any. And she would see that, even if he wasn't there at the moment, he had been there once, in a distant past, but he had been there, nonetheless.
She remembered clearly her childhood crush, picturing herself running after him, always reaching for his back, trying to catch up, but failing miserably each and every time.
She knew she had always been a joke to him.
Annoying, more of a burden than a team-mate.
And then, he was gone and nothing she had done had stopped him from going straight out of her life, out of their lives.
Whenever she didn't think about it, someone or something would make her reminisce.
Naruto, looking vaguely into space, stopping momentarily to be cheerful, having that sick and tired look on his face.
Ino, not really remembering he was gone for good, bringing up the subject while talking about the good old Konoha gossips.
Kakashi, sometimes waiting for a fourth person, the fourth person to join their team for whatever mission they had, and then, realizing that they were never going to be four again, that team 7 was never going to be complete again, wondering what, where and why.
She wanted him out of her life, her mind.
There always was that sickening, heart cringing feeling, whenever she would hear his name, see something that remembered of him or just think about him.
She needed him out of her mind, her life.
Without even being physically there, he was present, everywhere. In Konoha's spirit, in friend's minds, in old souvenirs.
Sasuke was omnipresent, everywhere, but he wasn't there.
And he had vanished on purpose, that bastard. He had gone out of everyone's life on purpose. Had he only seen that look of despair on Naruto when he came back, badly bruised, but empty handed? He did all he could, yet, without Sasuke back, it just wasn't enough...
But now, why, why did she see him, standing there, so coolly and so coldly in Konoha's main entrance? Was she getting visions? Was it a mirage? A nightmare? Some kind of really not funny illusion?
Like in a dream she had so many times already, she reached for him, this time for his face.
And then she slapped him, with all the power she could put in one single blow.
Dusting himself, as he got up from the ground, he looked at Sakura. Naruto was running towards him and Kakashi was slowly walking in the same direction, both coming out of nowhere, as if they knew someone had come home, at last.
"You've grown up, Sakura," he said, smirking exactly like before.