The first time they met was an accident. Sasuke never mentioned where he would be traveling to next in his letters to Sakura. There was no way for him to know for sure which town, if any, he would be in by the time she received his mail. For the same reason, Sakura never wrote back to Sasuke to tell him what she was up to, back in Konoha or otherwise.
So as it were, the first time they met must have been an accident. Or perhaps luck… or something more.
Sasuke had just arrived at the outskirts of Tonerumura, a village in the Land of Earth, after traveling for a few days without much sign of civilization. Tonerumura was nestled in a valley, surrounded by mountains on all sides. The location, Sasuke thought, was obviously a defensive strategy put into place when the town was developed. A time long before the Fourth War and what was now being called the "Time of Peace" that followed.
Initially it had unnerved Sasuke at how easily he was able to enter the villages he passed through during his travels. He was not used to people being so trusting of strangers, and the guilt he carried for his past sins always grew heavier as he was welcomed into the town. The people didn't know that they were openly allowing a man who was once a monster into their homes. A man who could very easily destroy everything they held dear. A man, Sasuke worked to remind himself, he no longer was.
Initially it had unnerved Sasuke, but now, six months of traveling and hundreds of villages later, Sasuke was grateful for the new trust the Time of Peace had planted in the people. Especially since he was in need of a good meal and a better place to stay than the rocky mountain side which had been his bed the past few nights.
As Sasuke walked into the town, he nodded to a man in civilian attire who stood watch by the wall. He was probably part of the local militia group charged with keeping the peace within village, rather than protecting it from those outside. The man waved back with a small smile, and just like that Sasuke was received into his next temporary home. No questioning, no identification, nothing. Things were very different now.
The katana hidden beneath Sasuke's cloak was now only unsheathed to procure dinner or ready a campsite. It was no longer a weapon, but rather a tool, and Sasuke planned to keep it that way. He knew too well the damage he could cause with a simple flash of the blade, and even when using it to cut firewood he had to consciously hold back his strength. The katana, so familiar, was an extension of his limb, and a part of himself he didn't trust.
The village streets were alive with venders and shoppers. It was busy, but nothing like Konoha. Tonerumura was smaller. The buildings were less colorful, with awnings made out of some type of metal. In fact, it appeared as though some buildings in the distance were made completely of metal, Sasuke noted as he looked around. A few men wearing hard hats and the dirt and grime of a day's work walked down the road in front of Sasuke, and a few words floated back to him about a tunnel almost being finished in the south sector. Tonerumura was a mining town, Sasuke decided, lifting his eyes to the mountains rising up around the town.
Mining was dangerous work. So was being a shinobi, but while they were two different types of careers, the dangers were much the same. Sasuke had once felt that the only truly respectable profession was to become a shinobi, and anyone else who chose another path of life was cowardly or weak. His new view of the world, however, had changed that. As he drifted from town to town, he was beginning to understand how each person in the community played an important role. This of course wasn't to say that Sasuke now placed grocers and inn keepers on a new pedestal, but he did respect them for working to support their village. Miners and shinobi both went to work, day after day, not knowing if it would be their last. If a tunnel collapsed or a colleague was killed on a mission, the work went on.
Sasuke brushed aside his thoughts for the time being, wanting instead to focus on finding food and lodging. He would have plenty of time to dwell on life matters later, but right now his stomach was calling for attention. It wasn't that Sasuke neglected to eat enough, but, more often than not, it was a growl from his stomach that reminded him that he had to eat.
Sasuke remembered back to Naruto's stomach always growling when Team 7 was just forming, and how he would chastise the blond for it. Now it was Sasuke's stomach always growling, but no one was there to give him a hard time. For a moment, Sasuke almost let himself admit that he missed having his teammates around, but a distraction left the sentiment unfinished.
It was a flash of pink that first caught Sasuke's attention, and before he could rationalize his suspicions, he was scanning the crowd again for its source. His gaze fell upon a woman holding up a length of pink fabric at one of the nearby carts, but it did not linger long. She was not the woman he had hoped to find. The pink fabric was just a tease, Sasuke thought dejectedly as he moved on down the street.
This was not the first time, though, that Sasuke had been fooled by something that reminded him of one of his old teammates. He had seen a dozen or so Naruto look-a-likes with obnoxiously bright hair, and had lately fallen victim to splashes of pink on a couple of occasions. In fact, he was really starting to hate the color pink. It was just uncommon enough that when he did see it, he immediately was reminded of…
Sakura.
Sasuke had to shut his eyes for a moment to make sure he wasn't seeing things again, but when he opened them back up she was still there. Sakura Haruno. There was no mistaking it this time as he watched the kunoichi bid farewell to an unseen villager as she exited a shop, brown paper grocery bag in arm. Sasuke just watched as Sakura turned and began making her way down the street, growing farther from him by the second.
What was she doing here? Was Naruto here too? Were they on a mission? Sasuke suddenly found himself trailing after Sakura, wanting to keep her in sight, but in no hurry to catch up to her. He didn't want to make his presence known, if he made it known at all, until he had more answers to his questions.
Team 7 had gone through too much to allow him to casually walk up to Sakura as if the past three or so years had never happened. He hadn't allowed her to come with him, again, and while he hoped his letters helped to curb some of the disappointment he knew Sakura felt, Sasuke didn't want to bring any unnecessary feelings to the surface. It would be good to see his teammates again, Sasuke could admit that much, and he knew that if Naruto and Sakura had the choice that they would want to see him… But still. Sasuke wasn't sure Team 7 was ready for a reunion yet.
.
.
.
Sasuke followed Sakura for about 15 minutes as she made her way through the village. A couple times he was afraid he had gotten too close because Sakura would suddenly stop, but it was always to look at a vendor's cart or return someone's greeting. Judging by the familiarity a few people showed towards Sakura, Sasuke gathered that she and Naruto had been in this town on a mission for at least a few days already. Sakura must have gone out to buy supplies while Naruto… Well, who knew what Naruto was up to.
Sasuke half smirked at the thought of the myriad of things Naruto would have been doing to cause trouble a few years ago, but he also reminded himself that Naruto had changed a lot since then and to be generous with his assumptions. Naruto was much more mature now. Sasuke knew that. Sasuke was proof of that. Without Naruto's faith in him…
Sakura turned down a smaller street, disappearing from view, so Sasuke didn't have to finish his thought. He made his way to the street corner, and casually looked down the road that Sakura had just disappeared down. It was a short street, but Sasuke was just in time to see the head of pink hair turn another corner. However, Sasuke didn't immediately follow. If he followed her now he would no longer have the cover of the main street's crowd. Sakura would surely be reaching her final destination soon, and Sasuke wasn't entirely sure he wanted to be that close to his old teammates. The temptation to see them would be stronger if he knew where they were staying. Of course, the temptation would be there as long as he was in the same village as them.
Short of leaving Tonerumura immediately, Sasuke knew there was no way to ensure that he avoided running into Naruto or Sakura. Perhaps it was best if he was in control of when the encounter happened, rather than leaving it to chance. Sasuke always preferred to have the element of surprise anyways. It allowed him to stay in control of his emotions. He could come off as aloof and let Naruto and Sakura be excited about seeing him.
Deciding that enough time had passed to put himself a safe distance behind Sakura, Sasuke made his way down the first street. He was immediately in a more residential part of the town, with apartment buildings lining both sides of the road. Konoha had a few main streets, but Tonerumura must have only had one long one. It was beginning to occur to Sasuke that Sakura most likely was not heading to a hotel, which would actually make meeting up with his teammates easier. Sasuke was never fond of public attention, which they would surely receive had they been staying in a hotel, so perhaps this was a prime opportunity for a reunion. The Uchiha was on the verge of convincing himself that he would make his presence known, when the decision was made for him.
Just as he rounded the second corner, Sasuke saw someone move towards him out of the corner of his eye. His hand reflexively shot out to prevent the attack, but the streak of pink dipped beneath his arm, coming up directly in front of him and hitting him with enough force to push him back against the building. Pinned in an instant, Sasuke was keenly aware of his assailant's grip on the front of his cloak, threatening to choke him if he put up a fight. He ignored the kunoichi's question as to why he was following her, as the corner of his mouth curved up into a crooked grin.
"Aa, Sakura." Sasuke replied simply as he looked down to meet two fiercely green eyes.