Disclaimer: I am not Kishimoto Masashi, thus, I am not the rightful owner of Naruto.

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A/N: This is my first fanfic. However, enclosed you will find an edited (new) version of the story. While I believe that there's still room to improve the quality of this work, I'm afraid this is all I can do to salve the story I slowly grew to dislike, lol. For those of you who read the original, you will find that the story still follows Sasuke's return to Sakura. Much of what I've changed are reactions, dialogue, and...setting? Overall, this version has approximately 8,000 more words.

For the original (and very crappy story) visit: love-solstice . livejournal . com. Send in a request to join and please remember to validate your email.

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A Welcomed Return

「butIdoLOVEyoU」

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Part I

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An echo, a figment of sound fluttered in the distance, beckoning Sakura, daring her to move and follow the sound elsewhere.

Perched atop what remained of an ice float, she was unable to take those precarious steps to move her forward. Her feet were bound to the cold slob of ice. Glued forcibly by invincible shackles that forbade her from running. While she did not want to run, she did not want the glaring darkness to shame her any more than she already was. Her shame coursed like molten lava through her veins. A daunting, and constant reminder of the weak and worthless Shinobi she once was.

Don't get ahead of yourself. You're still weak.

Unable to refute the sinister voice, which usually lay dormant in the dark recesses of her mind, Sakura gazed into the horizon. She gazed through unseeing eyes, the darkness thick and oppressive.

Unlike the beginning, she no longer fought the cold, sharp fingernails that raked against every inch of visible skin. She no longer shut out the voices that condemned her weak and helpless character. She no longer turned away from the images that hovered out of reach, and repeatedly shred her heart apart.

She was far from the world, wretched as it was in her eyes.

In here, in this void, she didn't have to pretend to feel. She was numb. Her gay emotions swept away with the departure of her loved ones. She did not have to pretend to progress with time. No, her conscious was still stuck six years back. Every night, and with accurate precession, she relived the horrid ordeal of her heart shattering into millions of tiny pieces. And every night, she wedged those pieces deeper into the dirt, hoping to never gaze at those memories again. But the attempts were futile.

Bowing her head in surrender, Sakura waited for a shimmering gray light to pierce through the darkness. Stranded as she was, she accepted her fate atop the cold wedge of ice, the coldness searing the soles of her feet.

Lost. So lost, the phantom of her tortured soul whispered.

Sakura watched as it materialized to the left of her. A small luminous light, glimmering from within the soul, filtered through the darkness. Her world become gray and distorted. Restlessly, Sakura watched as her soul glided in and out of the darkness. Always leaving bloodied foot prints in its wake.

Turning her head to the left, she ignored the phantom of her own soul. Often times, when she skimmed her hollowed eyes past the expanse of her soul's wrist, to catch sight of the blood that dribbled down the shimmering skin, she loathed to think that even in the afterlife, she'd found no paradise. So tortured and tormented was her soul that the ceaseless voyage abraded the soles of her feet, leaving behind puddles of blood when she hovered in one spot for too long.

Sakura counted to ten—endless as those small numbers were in this world—knowing that the phantom of her soul would leave if ignored.

While she'd come to grips with her attempted suicide—the kunai still deeply embedded in her soul's wrist—she had yet to acknowledge that her soul was condemned to an endless journey of solitude. The first time she'd stared into the reflection of her own green eyes, in the body of a transparent being, she'd been too startled and afraid to recognize the haggard face as her own.

The phantom had reached towards her with shaky cold fingers, but in her fright she'd yelled for it to leave her alone. Ever since, it ghosted around her, ignoring her imprisoned state. In the same litany the phantom chanted about being alone. When it didn't, it complained about the cold.

Cold. So cold.

Baiting her breath, Sakura knew it would be a matter of minutes before a familiar set of faces peeked in from behind the darkness. And always, she welcomed the sight of those faces.

Running her hands down the front of her shirt, she wiped them free of the nervous sweat. She cleared her throat, all the while knowing that the sound of her voice never carried over the darkness. She also attempted to run a hand through her hair, but the little movements she was afforded did not permit such a feat.

Straining her neck, she hoped with all her might to catch sight of Sasuke as he waltzed into her line of vision.

Beautiful, always so beautiful. This time, Sakura ignored her twelve year old self, prancing about in the shadows.

So attune was she with this lucid dream world, that she knew at what intervals to turn her head from distasteful appearances. Yet, she was never allowed to look behind her, and into her past. Even now, as the seconds morphed into minutes, and the minutes turned into hours, the darkness she desperately peered through shielded her from the future. Though, without a doubt, Sakura knew that sorrow was her only companion down the winding roads of unhappy endings.

Her first and (possibly) last love had walked out of her life without as much as a backward glance.

Her parents had been robbed of their lives. Their cold and lifeless bodies left as boneless heaps in the outskirts of Konoha's forest.

The gods were thoroughly wicked with her that they he mocked her from within her dreams. Repeatedly, they showed her the 'could have been' of her life, taunting her with the different results.

If only you'd been prettier

If only you'd paid as much attention to your parents as you did Sasuke.

If only you'd been stronger.

If only you'd die—

A knock reverberated through her mind. Startled by the force of it, Sakura blindly stumbled in the darkness for her footing.

ξ

Tumbling, Sakura awoke in a cold sweat, her heart thundering in her chest. A dull ache fluttered there.

Glancing at the alarm clock, she ignored the pain, and noticed that it read 2:15 am.

Hardly visiting hours.

Although she'd been awoken before she reunited with Sasuke and her parents, and although any other night she welcomed the reprieve of her dreams, on this night, she was thankful for whoever stood past the threshold. No matter how much she longed to see her loved ones in her dreams, they too were phantoms. Dreaming about them always left her with a depression that muddled her resolve to stay strong. When her resolve was weak and the depression radiated through her once vibrant green eyes, others looked and treated her like a homicidal escapist.

Suicidal, her innerself corrected.

Sakura sneered. While she'd been stupid to attempt to commit suicide six years ago, she no longer nursed the idea. She'd been selfish to think that no one would miss her. She'd been ignorant of Naruto's love for her and her sensei's concern. But she was smarter for that decision now. No matter how strongly the image of Sasuke leaving Konoha twisted her heart, and no matter how alone she'd been after her parent's death, those dreadful thoughts that flowed freely behind her mind's eyes, failed to convince her of the luster of death.

Long ago, she decided to value herself. And while she may not have a companion at her side, she would see to it that she grew old and weathered with old age.

Sakura had Naruto to thank for her decision to live. If he hadn't pulled her bleeding and limp form from her apartment and rushed her to Tsunade's office, she wouldn't be able to engage in meaningless banter with him.

When a second knock resounded through her tiny apartment, Sakura quickly jumped out of bed. She stalked towards her closet and as she discarded the sweat soaked shirt she wore, she pulled out a fresh one to change into. Quickly, she marched in the direction of the mirror propped up against the wall across the room. Furiously, she rubbed the remains of sleep from her eyes. Inspecting the side of her mouth, she wiped away traces of drool.

Nasty sleeping habit. She thought darkly as she spun on her heels and marched for the front door. It didn't take her more than twenty strides before she was out of her room and in front of the door.

After her parents passed away, she'd been forced to move from the luxury of her home and into this tiny and shabby apartment. She could barely fit three grown men into her makeshift living room. All the money she'd received from selling the house—furniture and all—she'd put away in savings. One way or another she had to provide for herself, and living in that big house with the constant reminder of the warmth she lacked was no way to live. Though, no matter where she lived, the warmth she once felt never followed.

Another knock.

Irritated that her unwelcome guest—it could be Lady Tsunade for all she cared—was ruining the relationship she'd fostered over the years with her neighbors by banging loudly on her front door, she yanked the door open without an ounce of remorse for the poor hinges. She'd been prepared to give the meanest and harshest tongue lashing to the person on the other side, but all intent froze in her throat when she noticed who the person was.

With eyes as wide as saucers, Sakura stared up and up at the temptation—er—man, towering over her small frame. Give or take he had to be somewhere between five-ten and six-feet.

Five-eleven and a half?

The man, though; wasn't just tall; he was muscled without the ridiculous bulge of a heavyweight body builder. Corded muscles wrapped around a lean and elegant figure. The fierce scowl on his lush and pink lips was at odds with the wickedness that danced in his midnight eyes. Eyes, she noted, that were framed by the thickest and darkest eyelashes she'd seen on a man, and did little to detract the fierce power that engulfed his aura. His skin looked as if it had been dipped in the finest porcelain, an exotic contrast against dark menacing brows.

Unable to tear her eyes away from the beautiful face, Sakura was helpless to note that the man had a perfectly shaped nose, sharp cheekbones, and a stubborn jaw. If he wasn't Sin, her name wasn't Sakura Haruno. And if he uttered a word in that deep and raspy and just roused from bed voice she so wanted to hear, he'd send her down on her knees without a fight.

Nervously licking her lips, Sakura took a step forward. With shaky hands she traced a finger down his stubble jaw.

Before the urge to launch herself into his strong arms, and never let go, bleed into her system, she snatched back her hand. Without a second thought she stumbled backwards. Everything inside her froze as the man across from her glared at her in the same fashion he'd done so as a kid. But it did not deter her from closing the door on him.

Sasuke Uchiha stood on the other side of her door.

"It can't be," she breathed into the stillness of her apartment.

Although she recognized the boyish face peering at her through the hard and chiseled face of an adult, there was no way that Sasuke Uchiha stood on the other side of her door. She had to be dreaming.

She—

That's it! She was still asleep. For the first time in years, the strict formula by which her dreams operated had relented and allowed Sasuke to greet her in a far different fashion.

Yes. That's it. It couldn't be any other way.

Just as soon as she crawled back in bed, phantom Sasuke would magically teleport his irresistible self, right beside her. And if in the process of lying side by side with her, he wanted to do those wicked things she'd seen in his eyes, she wouldn't dissuade him otherwise.

Closing her eyes, Sakura picture her small twin bed. She hoped Sasuke didn't mind her cluttered room, or crowding on top of her. The bed was really too small for the both of them.

Ah, maybe I can try laying my head on his chest. A secret fantasy of hers.

Her mind ran rampant at the possibility of her sandwiched with Sasuke on her small bed. Perhaps, the inadequate size was finally of use to her.

Smiling, Sakura was startled out of her self-induced trance when the banging on her front door resumed. This time accompanied by a very angry growl.

Oh ho! So maybe this isn't a dream. This actually does seem real.

With her heart thundering in her chest, Sakura cast a quick glance at her hands and decided to pinch herself. The pain barely registered as her ears strained to hear the imperceptible mumbling behind her door.

Is he—?

No, this isn't Sasuke, Sakura decided as she yanked the door open before Sasuke—err—the Sasuke impersonator finished casting a fire jutsu. "Go ahead. I dare you." She glared at the imposter. "And I'll make sure you roast with my door as well."

She found it incredulous that the imposter gave her an exasperated look.

"Just what the hell do you think you are doing?" Growling low in her throat, Sakura took up her no-nonsense stance. With legs splayed open on either side of her, and fists firmly placed on her hips, she glared at the idiot in the illusion jutsu. Two in the morning or not, she would make this insensitive jerk howl in pain tonight, because this obviously wasn't Sasuke. He had yet to return to Konoha, and even if he did Sakura was convinced he didn't want to see her.

As if, she mentally scoffed.

"I'll give you to ten to stop pretending to be—"

Her voice caught in her throat when she was pushed into the entryway of her apartment, the imposter following close behind her. So close, she could feel the warmth radiating off his skin, and taste the mint in his breath.

Squashing the fluttering wings of panic, Sakura stood her ground.

If this was Naruto, kneeing him in the groin would distract him from breaking the jutsu. But Naruto wasn't cruel. And even if there was a small chance he decided to play a harmless trick on her by impersonating Sasuke, he hasn't mastered illusion spells to wield Sasuke's sharinga, much less to glare at her.

Face scrunching up in anger, Sakura resisted the urge to haul disrespectful comments at her Sensei. It had to be Kakashi!

"Se—"

Without warning, lush yet firm and warm lips pressed against hers. Her mind reeled as the imposter framed her face in his hands and angled her head in what seemed to be the perfect angle. His teeth softly bit her bottom lip, urging her to open her mouth as he sucked and tugged the dull ache away. All it took was a single flick of his tongue against the roof of her mouth and she opened wide for his plundering tongue. He thrust it deep, the sweeping motions mimicking the rhythmic motion of primal sex.

Tunneling rough fingers into her hair, he eased a hand to the back of her head. Tugging on the hair there, he urged her to allow him deeper contact, to let him brand his minty taste and earthly fragrance into her being. Again and again his tongue danced against hers. He suckled her into his mouth, urging her to taste him as he did her, to take and conquer all that he offered.

Swept along by his drugging and urgent kiss, Sakura pressed herself against the solid wall of his muscled chest. If only for a moment, she wanted to pretend it was Sasuke who kissed her.

For a small second she thought it was Kakashi playing a trick on her, like he'd done all those years ago, but her sensei did not go around kissing his students.

No, not Kakashi-sensei.

But Sakura knew of another sensei that flirted with her with reckless abandon.

Sai: former member of Team 7, and an insensitive prick. Socially challenged, and deranged if anyone asked about his mental health. He was also the only man mean enough to disguise himself as Sasuke. All so that he could win her heart in his quest of wooing her.

A quest, Sakura mused, I want no part of.

Yet, no matter how ruthlessly she refused his advances, he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. Just last week, he'd gotten her drunk and forced a kiss on her. Fortunately, she'd been strong enough to resist him the entire time. Out of courtesy, she'd left deep welts from where her nails scratched against the side of his face, as future reminder to not mess with her again.

Now, however; she didn't fight her senses when they urged her to wrap her arms around his neck. He hadn't tasted this good last week. The more she dueled with his tongue, the more she discovered that he tasted like dark chocolate, dark and minty chocolate which made her head heady and caused her to moan.

He swallowed her throaty moan and peeling his lips away from hers, ghosted them up the side of her jaw. She didn't fight him when one of his hands glided down her back and pressed her as humanly possible to his pulsing erection.

Reaching her earlobe, he tugged lightly with his teeth, before he breathed something into her ear. Sakura didn't know what he said; she only felt his lips brush against her ear. She loathed thinking that he was confessing to her.

Perhaps, she was being cruel by allowing him to kiss her in such a manner, but even if he kissed her an inch away from stupid, she couldn't fool her feelings. And she wasn't going to have a casual fling with him to appease his interests. After all, sex was only a matter of research for Sai. The fool was on a quest to find the most compatible body. Seeing how he'd run through nearly every women in the village (fortunately he wasn't preying on underage girls), Sakura was beginning to think that what Sai needed wasn't a compatible women, but a man. If not, he was another screw up, just like her, who couldn't love.

Sighing, Sakura attempted to extricate herself from Sai's embrace. She found that the task was considerably tough when her body protested against the need to feel him further.

Scandalized that he wrapped a strong and deliciously warm hand around her breast, she yelled at him to let go of her.

"Stop! Or I will seriously loop it off." She threatened him when she angled her hips away.

He smirked at. And Sakura pretended it wasn't Sasuke's face she was gazing at. If she didn't pretend, if Sai didn't break his illusion, she'd allow him to have his way with her. All so she could have one night with Sasuke. Even if he wasn't the one standing before her.

"You'll have to reach into my pants for such a task." His guttural voice made her nipples harden. Sakura swallowed against the sudden dryness in her mouth.

"Sai, how many times must I—"

Before her words were out of her mouth, she was roughly pushed into the wall behind her. Horrified at his sudden change in attitude, Sakura stared at him with shock written all over her face. Even though she wasn't scared of Sai, seeing him use Sasuke's angry face chilled her bones. She began to open her mouth to apologize, when his fist, tearing through cheap plaster, silenced her.

"Is that why you shut me out?" He sounded wounded, and Sakura wished she could ease the pain away, but that would require something of her she had locked away, all those years ago when Sasuke left.

"How long have the both of you been making a fool of me?" The hurt mixed in with raw anger. It strained against his face.

Sakura wondered, if Sasuke had grown up to be this handsome, would his face contort in the same way, with lines of tension bracketing his eyes as he drilled all of his anger into her eyes.

Sakura swallowed against the knot that formed in her throat. "I don't know what you mean by 'the both of you'. If it's another one of your cheap tricks it's not working. Now get out of my apartment!"

Sakura hadn't meant to yell at him, mostly because she didn't want to scream at the face in Sasuke's likeness, but she had enough of Sai's harassment. If she didn't stop him now, he'd come back tomorrow with another lame trick to win her heart. Did he not get it? She was not giving her heart away to another, all so she could forget the pain. Call her a masochist, but the thought of being with someone who wasn't Sasuke ripped her insides to shreds.

The fact that he stood before her, pretending to be someone he wasn't wounded her enough.

When all he did was glare down at her, Sakura slammed a hand into his chest. She was mortified to know that the action hurt her hand more than it did his chest.

Goddamn it! She growled and returned his glare.

"I said to get out! Get the hell out of my apartment and never come back! You can impersonate Kami himself, for all I care, and I still won't date you! Get it through your thick skull, Sai. No amount of gifts, dates, or impersonating Sasuke will change my mind. I don't want you. So drop the illusion. I never gave you false hopes, and I think you've proven just how inhuman you are." Winded from yelling at him with unmasked frustration, she watched a muscle leap in his jaw.

If he wants to duke it out I'm game, she thought darkly as she gnashed her teeth in anger. I'll pound you so hard into the ground you'll regret laying your eyes on me. She may be a wreck on the inside, but at least she wasn't physically inert.

Sai circled a hand around her upper arm and hauled her a breath away from his—Sasuke's—face. Determined to smack the illusion from his face, she brought up her hand to strike him (not before asking for Sasuke's forgiveness). But he was swift. In a blur of superhuman speed, he knocked her hand out of the air, and forcing it behind her back he dragged her across his front. His (fake) Sharinga swirled with fury.

For a split second Sakura pondered just how safe she was in her home, with Sai's anger chocking her like a noose tied about a condemned man's neck.

Trashing in his hold she warned him. "Try anymore and not only will I castrate you, I'll feed you your own organs. And you know I will do it."

When the trashing made her head spin, Sakura stilled to glare at him. She opened her mouth to speak, but his ominous voice sliced through her heart.

"What has he done to you?" He demanded. The harsh madness in his voice made her shiver. The cold glint in his eyes told her this wasn't who she thought it was.

"Y-Y-You aren't S-Sai. Are you?"

The imposter shook his head.

"N-Naruto?"

Again, no.

"K-Kakashi?"

With each shake, the scowl on his face deepened. He even growled his disapproval each time she questioned his identity.

Sakura heard the brakes in her head, loud and clear. Suddenly, she didn't feel safe in her own home. She didn't know who this stranger was, but her instincts told her this wasn't a friendly trick (Or Sai being a prick). Whoever this man was, he meant to—

Sakura fought against the memory of pressing against his hard-on.

No, he wouldn't!

Yes, he will, her conscious taunted, knowing that the wickedness she'd interpreted in his eyes earlier meant what she feared.

She fought against the rising panic. Calm Sakura. Keep your calm.

If she wanted to outwit this guy she had to keep her cool. As it was, he blocked her only exit with his tall and powerful build.

It then occurred to her that it could be a girl for all she knew. Though, she couldn't recall giving anyone a reason to do such a cruel thing.

He shook her hard. "Answer me, Sakura."

Jared from her thoughts, Sakura pasted a placating smile on her face. "Well, can you at least tell me who you are?" Maybe if she acted soft and feminine, he'd ease his grip on her.

Shock permeated his features. "What do you mean who am I? Can't you tell it's me?" He gazed at her strangely and Sakura had to restrain herself from challenging his stare. It was obvious that he was the crazy one for pretending, and as it looked, being too absorbed in impersonating Sasuke.

Well shucks, she thought, it is one thing if this is a cruel joke, but another if this crazy thinks he's actually Sasuke.

Her brows furrowed. "Uhm…I know you're not Sasuke. So I'd be very grateful if you dropped the illusion. I-I don't mind talking to you in your original form."

Darn it Sakura, do not show him fear. She chided herself for stuttering.

When he released one of her arms, turned her head this way and that, Sakura had to wonder what he was doing. Briefly, he skimmed his fingers though her hair, lightly massaging her scalp.

"Something happened to you. Didn't it?" She heard him faintly whisper into the still air, as though he were afraid of his own voice.

Is he…checking for an injury?

Sakura suppressed a groan.

This is rich, she thought consternated. A complete stranger walks into my home, pretends to be Sasuke, kisses me, and looks at me as if I'm crazy because I won't play along. Oh, this is just splendid.

It then occurred to her that she indeed was stupid. She was a master Genjutsu specialist. If the imposter didn't want to release the spell, she could forcefully break it; she'd been first in her class at this sort of thing.

Succumbing to the foul names she avalanched at herself, Sakura disengaged her body and mind from the temporary reality. Although she hated to think of such things, thinking of the ache she endured after Sasuke left, and coupling it with the agony she lived after her parent's murder, always produced the right amount of pain to disrupt her chakra.

Closing her eyes, she allowed each memory to pin prick her heart. She didn't care that she risked a nervous breakdown, no, there'd be time to recuperate from that later. Now, she needed to know who gave her false hopes, so she could put an end to him.

Opening her eyes once more, Sakura gazed at Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.

No! This isn't right! If only—

Sakura looked around. She needed a weapon, something—anything—to pierce into her flesh. If she could dig deep enough, she could awaken from this illusion—from this dream—because, no matter how she looked at it, this person was not Sasuke. She couldn't (wouldn't) accept it was Sasuke! She had yet to prepare her heart to greet him once more.

"Sakura?"

She flinched when he lifted a hand to her cheek and watched as a flash of hurt skittered in his eyes.

Odd, she thought as she rapidly blinked against the moisture that collected in her eyes. She looked up at the man she'd mistaken for an imposter, unsure of what to do.

Could this really be him?

But why would he come here?

Why did he—

Nervously, and unwilling to trust that he, that Sasuke kissed her, Sakura licked her lips. Mentally, she barricaded her heart in a small dark room, to squash and prevent the hope that blossomed there. He's probably been without a woman for a long time, she thought, justifying the kiss.

Since he'd always been good at reading her, she bowed her head, shielding her gaze from his.

She didn't trust her voice to speak to him any longer. Even if she wanted to ask if it was truly him, she didn't think she could handle the sense of loss if he suddenly morphed into a being she did not recognize.

"Sakura, look at me."

She resisted the hand that gripped her jaw.

"Something's happened. Hasn't it?" The urgency in his voice was like a sharp-edged knife picking the master lock placed at her heart's door. "Was it Naruto? Kakashi? Did they hurt you?"

"No!" She looked at him wide-eyed, and was even more surprised to see that the smoldering anger in his gaze had diminished to worry.

ξ

A foreign emotion on a stranger's face, the sinister voice rose from within, reminding Sakura that even if this was Sasuke, she no longer knew this man.

"Sakura," he prompted as he gripped her jaw once more, forcing her to look at him when she nervously looked away.

"They would never hurt me like—," She broke off, chocking on her own words.

Having caught her meaning, his hands drifted from her face.

Pushing against his chest, Sakura stumbled backwards out of his embrace. She nearly tripped over her own two feet, but he was there to quickly settle her on her feet again. Once more pulling her arms from his scalding hands, she retreated from the entryway and backtracked into her tiny living room. Afraid that he would vanish, and yet not fully convinced it was truly him, she kept her eyes locked on his face.

A kaleidoscope of emotions passed before his face and she had to wonder that if this was truly him standing before her, perhaps, the concern and sorrow that lined his face was the real illusion. Maybe he really was here, in this room with her, pretending to hold her tenderly, pretending that the flash of hurt in his eyes was a result of her…rejection?

No!

Powerless to stop herself, she took a step towards him, hands outstretched to welcome him into her arms, but she caught herself. Spinning around, she paced in front of the dingy grey and pink couch that with its back facing the small kitchen area separated her makeshift living room from the kitchen.

She could practically hear her inner demon crackle in delight. Most likely, laughing at her indecision to trust her eyes.

Turning slightly to look at him, she caught sight of Sasuke blankly staring at the space she once occupied. Something akin to fury blazed in his eyes, causing his eyebrows to crinkle and his nose to flare.

In frustration, she watched him rake a hand though his midnight hair, longer than she remembered last. She opened her mouth to speak, to prevent his fingers from causing damage to the inside of his palms, but…there was so much she wanted to say. Where should she begin?

She hardly understood why he was here. She could hardly accept that he really was here.

To what end would someone impersonate him? The rational side of her spoke up, who left her alone all those moments ago when she opened the front door.

What had given her the impression that the Sasuke before her was an illusion?

Why was she so unwilling to believe her eyes?

Fear.

Sakura had always believed that one day Sasuke would return, and for the last six years, she awaited his return with bated breath, because no matter how dearly she wanted to see him again, a part of her was terrified. While she had loved him with all of her heart, not once had he returned an ounce of her affection, and she feared that the same could be said about the future. She feared that after years of patiently waiting for him—or impatiently if one was to count the time she too almost left Konoha to search for him—he would still consider her a weak and annoying shinobi.

She feared that having him so close and yet so far away would break her spirit.

But she couldn't pretend anymore. Could she?

This was Sasuke. No one other than him looked at her with annoyance.

Staring at Sasuke for long minutes Sakura wondered what to do next. The frightened girl of her past demanded that she run away and hides, to stall the heartbreak that would come next, but she simply wasn't that girl anymore. After six years, she wasn't sure that hiding was something she wanted to do. She'd been at a standstill for so long, it was time she moved on. Always she had hoped that it would be with Sasuke, but…

Clearing her throat she asked, "Why are you here?" Although her voice trembled she pasted a smile on her lips, sad as it was.

You have to get it together Sakura. Stay rational and keep it cool! The fact that he's never loved you has always been news to you. She encouraged herself.

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak. He closed it. He then looked at her, and away again.

Sakura held her breath. Of course! It's practically a duty for him to come see an ex-teammate.

And kiss you too, that sarcastic voice remarked.

Swallowing against the nails logged in her throat and blinking against the volcano that threatened to erupt behind her eyes, she fully turned to him. "When did you return? Do the others know?"

Still looking away, he shook his head no. He made no effort to answer her first question.

One. Two. Three, she heard her timer count off, not knowing how long she'd be able to smile at him. If only she could drown her feelings for him, maybe she would be able to look at him without feeling the need to breakdown. She knew that tears didn't bring out the gentleness in him, so she couldn't afford to cry or he would hate her for it—if he didn't despise already her for being so clingy in the past.

"Well then, what are you doing here?" She broadened her grin. "Shouldn't you be with Naruto?"

Again, he looked at her and glanced away. Does he doubt—oh!

A sense of shame coursed through her veins. Somewhere deep inside she'd interpreted his peculiar display of emotions for her, but the anger and confusion she'd seen in his eyes was a result of his doubt. He didn't think he'd be welcomed.

How stupid of me.

Taking a calming breath she said, "Sasuke, he misses you and so does Kakashi-sensei. Everyone's been waiting for your return."

His gaze quickly lifted from staring at a spot on the wall. He turned to glare at her and his jaw clenched stubbornly. "Have you been waiting for me?"

At a loss for words she licked her lips.

When Sasuke walked into the living room, to stand but a hair away from her, Sakura tried her hardest to not flinch away from the proximity. His chest and firm thighs brushed against her person. Because he towered over her, she had to tilt her head to look up at him. The uneasiness she'd seen in his eyes was replaced by the smoldering anger she'd encountered earlier.

Licking her lips once more, she wedged a hand between their bodies. Ignoring the hard plane of his chest, and the missiles of sensation the touch shot through her being, she slightly pushed him backwards, but he'd planted his feet so firmly on the ground, that she had trouble nudging him a millimeter away from her.

"I think—," With those two words alone, she was startled to see his onyx eyes turn a fierce shade of red. Gulping, she attempted to take a step back, but remembered the couch was right behind her. Least she wanted to make a fool of herself by flopping unceremoniously into it; she needed to stand her ground. "I think you should have a seat."

Quickly grabbing onto one of her wrists, he prevented her hand from leaving his chest.

"I asked you a question, Sakura." He used one of his large hands to grab her face, forcing her head further back so he could bore his gaze into hers. The feral way in which he said her name sent shivers down her back.

Just what is going on! Why is he behaving so strangely? Sakura was beginning to panic again. She didn't think that panicking would be a good idea when she was so close to breaking down.

Furtively, she glanced around, not having the slightest idea how to deal with Sasuke's sudden and aggressive behavior. Judging by his look alone, it seemed he wanted to shred her to pieces and pick his teeth with whatever was left of her, which wouldn't be much if he continued to rattle her nerves with his odd behavior. Before he had the chance to sink his teeth into her and rip, she would crumble under the weight of her uneasiness. The wild anger in his eyes, made everything inside of her squeeze tight in fear.

She blinked up at him, and thought the expression on his face softened.

"Of course I waited," she answered him, finding the task a bit difficult due to his grip on her jaw. She had to blink back tears as she pushed his hand away. Instead of leaving it at his side, he circled his hand around the base of her throat, his palm brushing against her collarbone. When she opened her mouth to speak, he silenced her with a glare.

"Then why did you mistake me for Sai?"

"What?! Ah, Oh!" Again she glanced around. "I, ah, I—you know!" She fished out lamely, not knowing how to explain her lack of trust in the current situation.

"I don't know. Or I wouldn't have asked." He practically growled in her face.

Sakura kept her mouth shut. Why are you even asking!? What does it matter?!

She found that she wanted to yell at him, rally against him. She wanted to breakdown and cry with joy that Sasuke had returned, and at the same time she wanted to cry at the absurdity of this reunion. Not once had she thought their next encounter would entail a fairy tale reunion, but she hadn't though—expected him to breathe fire down her face the next time he saw her.

Maybe this love isn't meant to be had. As if her heart wasn't already broken, she felt another piece chip away.

"Sakura—,"

"I was in shook," she blurted out. "I couldn't believe my eyes so…I thought I was dreaming. I, ah, it's the middle of the night and I was asleep so…I mean…it's hard to believe that you'd want to see me."

"You thought I didn't want to see you?" No matter how she interpreted his tone, he sounded thoroughly insulted.

"I'm annoying, remember?" His eyebrows furrowed, but he said nothing. Sakura grinned at him again, mostly, because it kept her from crying her eyes out. "It actually comes as a surprise that you came to me first and not Naruto or Kakashi-sensei."

He didn't try to justify his reason, and Sakura kept her imagination on a short leash. On one hand, she was taunted by the possibility that he wanted to see her first before anyone else. Perhaps he had missed her above everyone else. Perhaps, masked underneath a fierce warrior's face, he was brimming with uncontrollable love…for her.

As if!

On the other hand, she was reminded that to Sasuke, the order of his visit didn't particularly matter. Her home was probably closest, anyway. He probably wanted to be done with the annoying reunion first.

And just how did he find her home if he hadn't seen Naruto or Kakashi?

"Uh, Sasuke?"

He blinked and raised an eyebrow.

Hesitantly she asked, "How did you know where I live?"