Title: Something of light
Author: Sasuke181
Summary: Sasuke returns to Konoha after the war and is finally ready to accept his feelings for Team 7 and Sakura. This is a story about new beginnings and correcting mistakes of the past.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Naruto world, which is trademarked by Masashi Kishimoto. The characters in this story are created and owned by Masashi Kishimoto, and I do not claim any ownership over them or the world of Naruto. The story I tell here is my own invention, and it is not purported or believed to be part of Masashi Kishimoto's story canon. This story is for entertainment only and is not part of the official story line.
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"It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop." – Confucius
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After Sasuke's release from the hospital Naruto dragged him to Ichiraku claiming that a true Team 7 reunion could only be done over a bowl of ramen. Knowing that it would be a useless arguing with Naruto when it came to ramen, Sasuke simply allowed himself an exasperated sigh as he followed Naruto.
Naturally, Sakura was already there and Sasuke could bet that Kakashi was invited too but would turn up at least half an hour late. As soon as they stepped in the shop, Sakura stopped talking to Ayame, turned towards them and gave them a soft smile. A genuine one.
"Hi there."
"Sakura-chan! You are here already? "
"Yeah, I won't be able to spend much time with you guys though. I have to go the hospital. Now that we've finished with the inventory, we are going to have to sort through the freshly picked ingredients the genin brought. So, I'll be responsible of the patient ward in the meantime."
As Sasuke watched her from the corner of his eye, he noticed that she kept fidgeting with her chopstick and refused to look at him. He supposed it was normal considering what happened between them. Although she did accept his apology, not seeing her at all during his stay at the hospital gave him an inkling of her feelings.
Other than the grunt he gave Kakashi on his arrival, he stayed silent throughout his meal and occupied himself by discretely watching Naruto and Sakura's interaction. Sakura has definitely grown closer to Naruto. Other than scolding him when he said something stupid, it looked like she sincerely enjoyed his company. As he watched Kakashi and Sakura tease Naruto, he felt a wave of nostalgia hit him. Exactly like the one that him when he came back the first time...
I could feel something tugging at my heart as I watched the village from my standpoint. The village sure had changed since the last time I saw it. There were some buildings that didn't use to be there and old shops looked like they have been rebuilt. But what hit me hard was the scent... The cold breeze that carried the smell of woods, fire and freshly bloomed flowers wafted through my nose reminding me of the hot summers spent in this place.
If I stared longer, I was sure I would see Itachi giving me a piggy back ride home or my mother and I walking home with a basket full of tomatoes. And on my right, the bridge where Naruto would be whining about Kakashi being always late. And there was that place that I would see if I just angled my face a little bit to the left. But this would make me think of her. And that was forbidden. Especially after what happened recently.
But even though there was that foolish little child inside of me who still yearned for days long past gone, I couldn't lose focus. What I came for was answers. I needed to know and understand Itachi's motives for protecting this place. Why love this village so much? Why love it as much as your own flesh and blood?
"...Sasuke agreed to that?"
"What do you mean agreed? He has no choice. He cannot even access the Uchiha fortune until after the trial!"
"What have I agreed to?" Sasuke decided he needed to stop getting lost in his thoughts and not be aware of his surroundings. He wondered if being back to Konoha was doing that to him. Did he think that he was safe with them here that he didn't always have to be alert?
"You are staying at my place, of course!" announced a cheery Naruto. "You have nowhere else to go after all. I do not think you'd want to live with Pervy Mc Pervy here and Sakura's place is simply out of question. So you are staying with me."
And that is how Sasuke ended up in Naruto's apartment one hour later. What did surprise him though was the cleanliness of his apartment. For some reason, Sasuke always thought Naruto's apartment would be filled with empty ramen cups, dirty clothes and cockroaches. That sent a jolt to his system. It has been a while since they've spent time together, how presumptuous of him to think that he still knew Naruto well!
With nothing else to do with the rest of their day, Naruto insisted that Sasuke and he sparred. Since that was the only thing that would make his best friend shut up, Sasuke decided to give in to his whining. Besides a light sparring session would help him get rid of the restlessness that had settled in while he was at the hospital and the pent up frustration at Sakura's attitude during lunch.
She kept her attention directed towards the other members of team 7 and whenever the two idiots talked to Sasuke or changed the conversation to include him, she would look down at her bowl of ramen and her smile would drop. She wanted him back, so why was she shutting him out now?
Knowing that Sakura was on a late shift that night, Sasuke decided to go pick her up after his sparring session. He wanted to mend his relationship with all the members of team 7 and it seemed like Sakura was the only one having difficulties letting him in again. So if she wasn't going to come to him, like she used to, he decided that he would be the one to reach out first. Not only did he owe it to her, he also couldn't go on like this. He refused to sit through another lunch with Sakura being awkward and distant around him.
Standing underneath the cypress, Sasuke kept his eyes trained on the entrance of the hospital waiting for her to come out. But after an hour of waiting, Sasuke started questioning his decision. He didn't want Sakura to think he was demanding her forgiveness. He just wanted to take little steps towards them being friends again. And who knew what would happen during the trial that was coming up in one month. It was true that Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi would give their all so he wasn't convicted but Sasuke didn't trust the elders of Konoha. They didn't like the Uchiha clan and that was fact. What would happen if they decided he was too dangerous to be freed?
Sasuke knew he would leave and never come back were they to decide he was to spend his life in jail. But if it came down to it, he wanted to at least win his team mates forgiveness and wanted to ensure that they understood were he to leave. He didn't want them to hate him, he needed them to understand. After all, even if he did leave the village for good, as a fugitive, he would still want to see them outside the village.
Just as he was about to give up and leave, he saw a small figure coming out of the hospital. With that pink hair there was no way it could be anyone else but her. And considering that she was staring right at him, he couldn't pretend he didn't see her. Pushing off the tree, he walked slowly towards her, replacing the frown on his face with what he hoped was a friendly expression.
"What are you doing out here?"
"I thought I'd pick you up. It's late."
"I know. I've finished work later than this. I don't need someone to protect me, you know?" she replied without missing a beat.
And before Sasuke could reply, she turned away and headed in the direction of her apartment.
Sasuke didn't mean that she couldn't protect herself by this, he was just trying to be more of a teammate. Before he could start regretting his decision, he decided to follow slowly behind and not grace her question (even if it was rhetorical) with an answer... He just knew that if he opened his mouth he would snap at her. He knew she could defend herself. Wasn't he there on the battle field? He knew what she could do. And she should know that.
They both stayed quiet throughout their walk to her place, neither of them wanting to break the stifling silence. Sakura didn't say a word to him nor did she turn around once to look at him as she climbed the stairs to her apartment. So, Sasuke watched her silently and left the moment the door closed behind her.
Despite it not going the way Sasuke expected, he decided that that was a first step and he was ready to do that until she would turn around and talk to him. Because, at the end of the day, this was Sakura.
