Home.
That was the word running through Uchiha Sasuke's mind as he and Team Taka neared the center of the village. Karin glanced around nervously, the mixture of stares they received freaking her out. Suigetsu winked at every girl who saw them, causing several blushes and earning a few red handprints. Juugo stared unaffected at the buildings, liking the sense of community he felt. Sasuke kept his expression blank though he was filled with a sense of comfort. The team had just received their sentences from Tsunade for all the crimes committed against Konoha. Sasuke had received a slightly harsher sentence from her which she justified with, "you caused Naruto to nearly kill himself and pushed all of your former teammates to the brink of their physical limits. Not to mention you attempted to kill my student, who was already suffering heartbreak because of you. It's more than light for what you really deserve so suck it up." Sasuke had merely let out a monosyllable before leaving.
Suddenly a flash of blonde interrupted his reverie as he was tackled by Naruto Uzumaki. He countered the hit by shifting his weight and throwing Naruto off of him. He glared at the grinning jinchuuriki who began bouncing.
"Teme! You're back! I hope granny Tsunade didn't go too hard on you… she's kind of temperamental, especially since she has to prove that she won't be thrown out of Hokage position again. Not that anyone wants to mess with her or her student… speaking of which you haven't seen Sakura yet have you? Well let's go!" He grabbed Sasuke's hand dragging him away from his glaring kunoichi and grinning shinobi teammates. They stopped in front of the ramen shop where the entire group stood laughing and talking. Silence fell over the shinobi as the traitor and the hero came through. It was broken soon enough by a whispering Ino.
"Ooh, Sakura's going to kill him." She called over her shoulder to the raven-haired man, "You better watch out Sasuke! Sakura isn't going to like how you've just meshed back in!" She and the rest of the group burst into laughter as the men all slapped their old friend on the back and wished him luck. He was surprised at how quickly they'd accepted him with all the crap he had done but he wasn't one to complain. Team Taka may have been with him when he killed his brother, but it was Naruto and the rest of them who accepted his every fault. One shinobi more than anyone, including Naruto.
Sakura Haruno was the one person who he felt had honestly cared for him all the time. Even when he dismissed her fan-girl adoration as a mere obsession she hadn't given up, going so far as to offer to leave the only home she'd ever known to stay with him. She had trained with Lady Tsunade, the toughest and most temperamental kunoichi ever known. She'd threatened to kill him if it meant his coming home, something that struck him deeply. He thought about her a lot these past few years, wondering if she would still be waiting for him or if she'd moved on. His vision had always reddened at the thought of her finding another man, and his throat always felt constricted. He shook his head as the sound of screaming reached him from outside.
Moving to the doorway of the ramen shop he watched as a group of little kids crowded around a taller woman who laughed. She gripped hands with the kids as they formed a circle and began playing games with them. Her laugh was familiar but he couldn't recognize her under the hat she wore. Soon she was coming towards him. Naruto yelled and sprinted toward her, wrapping her in a hug. The others in the group took their turns hugging her, piquing Sasuke's interest even farther. She pulled her hat off and Sasuke was struck with disbelief. The woman's pink hair fell to halfway down her back, her bangs framing her face. He was shocked; his cherry-blossom had grown up and filled out. Her outfit hugged her every curve and he gazed at her in astonishment.
A strangled word left his lips, "Sak-Sakura?" her head turned toward him and her smile froze. The two stood there staring at each other for several minutes. His mouth quirked into a small genuine smile as he nodded to her. She stood up straight and walked over to him.
"Sasuke," she whispered. She threw her arms his neck and he wrapped his around her small waist. He buried his face in her hair that smelled like apples, the one thing that always reminded him of her. She closed her eyes as she hugged him tighter before pulling away.
"Sasuke," she whispered again. He opened his eyes just in time to see her fist smash into his face. He flew back and hit the side of the Hokage building. His head was spinning and he could vaguely hear Karin screaming if he was alright. One voice prevailed and he recognized it as that of his gorgeous former teammate.
"IF YOU THINK YOU CAN COME BACK HERE AFTER ALL THIS TIME AND EXPECT IT TO ALL BE OKAY, YOU NEED A RUDE AWAKENING THAT I'LL BE HAPPY TO OBLIGE YOU WITH!" He was shocked to see the girl he used to know marching toward him with a furious expression. He was even more shocked when she began beating the crap out of him, "YOU WERE A CRUEL*punch*, INSENSITIVE *punch, SELFISH PRICK AND I AM NOT *punch* GOING TO FORGET IT THAT EASILY! *punch* YOU HAVE A LOT OF CRAP TO MAKE UP FOR UCHIHA!" then she began healing his wounds and continued talking at a lower decibel, "And you can start by taking me to dinner, and hanging out with me and Naruto all the time like we used to." She finished healing him and helped him stand up, "I really missed you Sasuke, but you're not going to slide that easily." She winked at him with a mischievous grin and pulled him back to the ramen shop. He shook his head and chuckled at his bi-polar seeming teammate. The night was spent laughing and getting to know the members of Team Taka. At one point, Ino had walked over and sat next to Sasuke.
"I told you boy. Over these next few years, she's gonna make sure you have hell to pay." She smirked at him and he smirked back, "She certainly changed didn't she Sasuke? But at least you're home."
"You know Ino, I think you may be right." She smiled at him as he continued to stare at his two best friends who soon came to join him. He was with people who really cared about him.
He remembered something his mom used to tell him and Itachi when they were little, "Wherever there are people who care about you, enough to push you around to get some sense into you, you'll never be homeless. And if it's a girl who is willing to push you around, you better hold tight." Her smile grew as she continued with a wink, "You're in for one bumpy ride.
He couldn't help but think she was right.
Ok so Sasuke may have been a smidge OOC the entire time, but I highly doubt he can always be an emotionless robot. He has to have some sort of turmoil besides that of killing Itachi I mean he is a guy with hormones! Come on! Sorry for my little rant, but I had to say that… Read and Review! Comments are more than welcome!