She stood over the city, dressed beautifully in a bright blue kimono decorated intricately with beautiful white clouds. She did not look down- nothing below interested her, and heights bothered her anyway. Instead she stared outward, over the horizon, and longed to know whether he was doing the same.

"Oh, Romeo." She lamented. "Wherefore art thou…?" She sighed. "You denied your Father, but you did not refuse thy name."

She hummed in her throat, warming up her voice, before letting out a soft note. It was light and angelic, but somehow mournful and sad.

"I will see you again." She promised. "By defying the gods themselves if I have to."

She turned around, back into the dark room. She ignored the expensive looking mirrors and furniture and headed straight to the desk. She sat down, her hand falling on her pen, and lowered it to the paper.

My Love,

My thoughts have stayed with you from the very moment we parted all those years ago. I have never in my life felt this way about another person. I feel it, deep in my chest that you are the one for me. I have watched you, closer perhaps than you have realized for these past eight years.

She grimaced, shaking her head as she gently folded the paper up and discarded it. The trash bin next to her was completely full of discarded parchments and unsent declarations of her undying love.

No matter how much she wrote, no matter how much she thought or dwelled on this situation, no matter how devoted she was to saving herself for the day that they reunited, they still had not met again.

"Until we meet again." She sang quietly, under her breath, as her hand trailed along the edge of the white desk. Despite the vast wealth that surrounded her, she had always felt empty and alone.

The only time in her life that she hadn't…was with him.

Her heart fluttered. Truly that day had been the most magical day of her life. Everyone that surrounded her day to day, who showered her with compliments and praise and declared their love were not their for her at her absolute most dire hour of need.

But he was. He was different. The fact that he had not stayed, despite her pleading with him, proved his character to her. In fourteen and a half minutes he had completely won her heart, and she had never forgotten.

…

The next day she found herself feeling completely alone, as she usually did. She smiled and laughed at the people around her and their idle chatter, but inwardly she was as troubled as ever. He had still not returned.

"Why, this food is delightful-!"

"Yes it is, isn't it? It is made from ingredients from all over the country-"

She wanted to tune out, to escape. Perhaps into her thoughts, perhaps into her music. Anything but this. Anything.

She longed to see his eyes again. Those eyes unlike any that she had ever seen. That swirling, mesmerizing red stare captivated her even now. Oh if only she could see him again…!

But it was impossible. He was long gone, abandoned. He had left his home behind, and she had no way of hearing his name again.

"The Chunin Exam really was quite something."

"You don't say?"

"It was in Konohagakure this year."

She sat up a little straight, subtly darting her eyes to the side, careful not to let anyone watching her notice her interest. Konoha. His home. The only reason he left her to begin with.

"Yes, I went for the Tournament." The man was saying. "It was quite the upset. The finalists were two kunoichi who barely scraped to the end. They were worn out by the Final match."

"Yes, I've always said they should pad these things out." The other man sniffed. " There is no sense in having fights in a tournament setting when every combatant is not at their best."

"No sense at all." His companion agreed.

"The winner was a rookie this year. A young Hyuuga girl."

Hyuuga… she recognized the name.

"The Heiress, in fact." The man continued.

"Well that is to be expected. They are a well renowned family. Someone with that background would have been trained from birth."

"The other girl was a commoner."

"Really?"

"Yes, she did not even have a family name. I recall that her profile stated that she was an Orphan who was starving on the streets before entering their Ninja Academy."

"Well well well. And she made it all the way to the finals with that background?"

She was about to tune out of the conversation entirely. Talk of young women did not interest her. And then-

"She seems to be quite the young lady. I heard that she is in a relationship with the Uchiha survivor."

She gagged on her drink, wine spilling out of her mouth and onto the tablecloth in front of her. The people around her fretted over her, asking if she was alright. But she ignored them entirely, her face empty and white, her attention focused entirely on the two men in front of her. The worries and voices of those asking her questions drowned out the conversations entirely. She could not make out what was said next.

She wanted to clutch her hands against her head and scream. But instead she simply excused herself.

"I will be fine." She said quietly. "Pray, forgive me."

She ignored the comments from those around her that she should see a doctor, that she should eat slower and take care of herself more. Her eyes found their way back to the men she had been listening to.

The conversation had turned to another topic. She clutched the tablecloth under her hand in a silent rage. She wanted to know more. She had to know more.

She had to go to Konoha.

…

Ino brushed her hand out of her hair as she bent over her flowers. It had been several weeks since the end of the Chunin Exam Finals, and life had pretty much gone back to normal.

The bell to the store tinkled. She looked up, and then her workplace smile turned to a genuine one.

"Sasuke!"

She stepped out onto the floor to meet him. She was a bit annoyed to see Tenten on his arm, leaning her head into his shoulder, but she tried not to let it show on her face. She tried to present herself the nice, friendly, girl next door who DEFINTELY would be a better girlfriend than the one he currently had. She found herself running a hand through her hair as she approached. She tried ignore the deep, dark stare that Tenten was giving her. Her Chunin Jacket, to her absolute horror, had a small Uchiha fan on the arm.

Oh god she's wearing his family seal

Still smiling, she approached them. "Well hello there." She said. "The usual, Sasuke?"

"Not in front of the Girlfriend Ino." Sasuke said lazily. "Just a bunch of roses."

That was the usual. Ino thought to herself, annoyed, as she turned away from them. Tenten turned her head to Sasuke and said something to him. He responded, laughing, and patted her arm. She looked annoyed with him, and sighed, shaking her head.

"What do you even need roses for?" She asked, as she prepared the flowers just the way that Sasuke liked them. "You're with someone. You're not going to give these to random girls on the street… are you?"

She turned around to face them, the Roses outstretched. Sasuke smiled at her warmly as he took them from her.

"I would never dream of it. "He claimed quietly, as he picked one from the bunch. Ino felt her heart jump as he handed it to her and winked. "Have a nice day."

She felt herself melt as he turned, wrapping his arm around Tenten, and then stepped out of the store. Ino stared after them, biting her lip longingly as the flower's brilliant petals fluttered from the breeze in the window.

Tenten pushed herself away from him after the door shut behind him. Immediately Sasuke pulled out a rose and held it out to her. She scowled.

"What are you doing?"

"Flirting."

She pushed it away. "Stop it."

"With you? Never."

Tenten sighed, a smile on her lips. "Sasuke." She said, her voice sweet. "We are in a relationship."

"Yes."

"A committed relationship."

"Yes."

"And you're going around talking to other girls."

"Flirting with other girls."

Tenten scowled. "Why?"

"Because I want to."

They had had this conversation before. Tenten pushed her fingers against her temples, sighing. "Sasuke, I don't like that. It makes me feel disposable."

"You're not disposable Tenten." He said. "I'm not going to abandon you."

"Because you need me for breeding purposes?" She asked, her voice taking on a slight edge.

"No." He said. "Because I like flirting with you."

Tenten broke, and smiled again. "You're really lucky you're hot." She said, not for the first time. "Look, I don't think I like the idea of being a harem girl-"

"Not yet."

"Especially if you're going to go around flirting with people like Ino." Tenten went on. "At least have some standards."

Sasuke laughed. "Who would you want to see me flirt with?"

Tenten gave him a sick smile.

"That Haku girl looks nice."

For the first time Sasuke stared at her, at a complete loss of words. She giggled, placing hands over her mouth.

Things had changed since the end of the Chunin Exams. Three of the Leaf Genin had been promoted to Chunin. Tenten, Shino, Hinata, and Neji had all been selected to become Chunin. As a result the Genin Teams that had been selected by the higher ups were beginning to break down. Tenten and the others were beginning to take on more and more responsibility.

Sasuke and most of the other genin had been working together a lot more. He had done a lot with Kiba and Ino's team in the past couple of weeks and all were talking about the possibility of taking the next Chunin Exams.

All of them other than Naruto and Sakura.

Sakura had still not recovered from their ordeal at the hands of Orochimaru. Although she was speaking more and would leave her home on occasion, she had still not returned to training and had not gone on a single mission. Sasuke had gone to see her on occasion, and although she was willing to speak to him there was this very thick sheet of ice between them. And that was the other member of the team.

Sakura had become terrified of Naruto, and in turn he had become much more withdrawn. He had not given up training, not in the slightest, In fact he seemed to do nothing else besides train on his own and go on missions. He never spoke when he and Sasuke ended up working together, despite Sasuke's attempts to reach out to him. Something was very wrong. Sakura's distrust in him was bothering him greatly. Sasuke suspected that Naruto had developed a bit of a crush on Sakura and felt extremely betrayed.

Worst of all, he felt that the vast majority of the village was encouraging this. Most everyone seemed perfectly happy to allow Naruto fester in his misery. It annoyed Sasuke, but it only made him want to help Naruto more.

"I want to invite Naruto and Sakura over for dinner tonight." He told Tenten. "We should all spend time together before you leave for your next mission."

Tenten's mouth twitched. "Again?" She asked. "Neither showed up the last few times."

"I know, but I have to try."

Tenten smiled. "Alright." She said. "But stay out of touching distance of Sakura at all times, alright?"

"I can't promise that."

They kissed good bye when they parted ways. Sasuke's hand trailed off from her as he puled away and headed back to the compound. His mind was on his overall goals, which had he had admittedly been sidetracked by in recent months. The harem.

His mind was still on Tenten and the girls as he checked his mail. He sorted through his messages and letters, amused to notice that many of them were congratulating him on Tenten's performance in the Chunin Exam Finals. She would be tickled to see that, he would have to set those aside and show her later.

There was one small white envelope sitting in the pile. He picked it up, gave it a glance, and almost threw it away with looking at it. And then his eyes fell back on it and he gasped, dropping it on the floor.

He stared at it for a moment, as if shocked, before quickly bending down to pick it up.

Although it was sent to the compound, it was not addressed to him. Not exactly. It was addressed to a 'Foolish Little Brother.'

He ripped it open and stared at it, his lips tight. Before he was even finished his brow furrowed in confusion.

Dear Foolish Little Brother,

We know Naught of each other. Though we are bound by a thread stronger than blood, we have never met face to face.

I want to meet you, and speak of the One that binds us, as Brother and Sister.

…

"What the hell is this?"

Tenten screwed up her face as she stared over the letter, even more confused than Sasuke had been. "Do you always get letters like this?"

"All the time." Sasuke admitted. "But there's a couple of things about that are bothering me."

Naruto and Sakura had again refused to show up. The food that Sasuke had prepared was sitting untouched on the table as Tenten and Sasuke poured over the text of the letter.

"Is it a love letter?" Tenten asked shrewdly. "From someone who, uh, wishes they were born an Uchiha?"

"I think it is." Sasuke said, his voice slow. "But I'm not the one she's in love with." He paused, wondering how much to reveal to Tenten. "The way it sounds, it sounds like she's in love with my Brother."

"Your broth-?"

She stopped, giving him an intense look. They had never, in their entire relationship, discussed Itachi in any capacity. "With that maniac?"

"Yeah." Sasuke said. "People send in letters asking for his hand in marriage all the time." Tenten stared at him, surprised, before turning back to the letter.

"How is this one different?"

"Well there's that whole 'Foolish Little Brother' thing." Sasuke said, tapping the header with his finger. "Itachi… used to call me that all the time. As a joke."

"And this person is aware of that?"

"I think it's safe to say that it's a woman, Tenten."

"Okay, so this woman is aware of that?"

"Yeah." He said. "And that's what worries me. She knows at least a little bit about us. Most of these letters are mostly after our money or family legacy or whatever. But she wouldn't know this unless she spoke with Itachi personally."

Tenten crossed her arms, learning back in her seat. "So you think this letter has more meaning behind it than the generic ones, right?"

"That's right." Sasuke said quietly, as he stared down at it waringly. "But what it means, I cannot say."

"She says she wants to meet you." Tenten said. "But she didn't give you any instructions or anything like that. She's probably going to reach out to you again."

"I think so too." Sasuke said, his voice quiet. "And that's what worries me."

…

Before they could learn anything more, Tenten had to leave the village for her next assignment.

"You better be stronger when you get back." She teased, as she looked him up and down. "I don't want to come home to find you sitting around, watching movies."

She departed in high spirits. Sasuke wished her well and immediately went to see Sakura. She was already awake, staring out of her window as he approached.

"Oh-"

She paused as she stared down at him, trying to decide what to do, before pulling away and closing the windows behind her. Sasuke was beginning to wonder whether she was trying to hide herself from him before the front door opened.

"Sasuke." Sakura said quietly, hands folded in front of her. Her hair seemed unusually matter and ill kempt. Sakura was the sort who always tried to preen around him, trying to catch his attention. "It is always good to see you."

"Likewise." Sasuke said cautiously. "What are you up to today?"

She sighed, her head downcast.

"I don't know what to do." She admitted, speaking in a rush. "I can't do this, Sasuke. I'm not like you or Tenten or Hinata. I'm not a Ninja, I never will be. I'm not cut out for it and-"

"Let's talk about it." Sasuke said firmly, as he reached forward and grabbed her arm. "Over training."

She tried to protest as he dragged her along the streets, ignoring the surprised stares all around them. "Sasuke, no. I don't want-"

"If you didn't want this, you would never have become a Ninja to begin with." Sasuke said grimly, his grip never loosening. "You want this, more than anything."

She went along with it, quieting down considerably as they strolled to the training yard. Sasuke let go of her, and she fell to the knees, staring vacantly up at him. He ignored her.

"Let's start with the basics." He said. "Stand up."

She stared at him, stubbornly unmoving. Sasuke stared down at her. They stood like that for several minutes, neither of them moving an inch. And at long last, Sakura slowly got to her feet.

"Beautiful." Sasuke said quietly, as he reached forward and brushed her hair out of her face with her hand. She gave a small start, her mouth falling open. He ignored her as he got into a fighting stance.

"Alright." He said. "Now hit me."

"I can't-"

He darted his hand toward her face and her eyes widened. She took an awkward step back as Sasuke's hand stopped right where her face had been. He glared at her and then stepped forward, again striking out at her. She clumsily slapped at him back. He took the blow and struck out at her.

"Ah!"

He grazed her waist. She slid to the side, again stepped awkwardly as she raised her hands defensively. Sasuke lashed out again, this time more quickly, and she awkwardly slapped it aside.

They went on like that, increasingly becoming more and more intense, trading blows left right and center. It was a long while before Sasuke called it quits. Sakura, pale faced and sweating, stared at him intently. She was standing completely still.

"You can sit down." Sasuke said, amused. "You haven't trained at all since you went on vacation, have you?"

"N-no." Sakura admitted. "I… don't want to sit down, Sasuke. I may not get back up."

"We'll have to see just what you can handle." Sasuke said gently, as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into a sitting position against the nearby boulder. She complied, freezing somewhat at his lingering hand on her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"Um." She said, feeling a little bit self concious. "Now that I've stopped moving… I feel terrible."

"You'll feel better after you get a little rest." Sasuke advised. "We probably overdid it. That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

"It was lovely."

Sakura flushed red and bent her head downward. Sasuke smiled at her, and ran his hand down her arm.

"Are you in pain?"

"No." She said. "I'm fine."

He nodded, as he adjusted himself. Sakura turned to look at him, but he shook his head and gestured in the opposite direction. Sakura frowned, turning away. She almost jumped as he felt her hands on her shoulders.

"Shh." He said. "Relax."

She did so, not entirely sure exactly what he was planning, and let her shoulders drop. She trusted Sasuke, and felt safe around him. That was why what came next was so wonderful.

He began to rub her back, neck and shoulders with her hand. She froze up at first at the unexpectedly tender gesture, but almost immediately felt herself melting under his hands as they moved to her neck and shoulders, and down to her upper back.

"Where did you learn-"

"Shhh."

She fell silent and allowed him to continue the massage. She found herself longing for him to continue as he pulled away from her.

"I'll walk you home." He promised her. He grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet. She was blushing furiously now, and desperately wished that she had had the chance to prepare before Sasuke came to see her.

"Becoming a Ninja is like any other skill." Sasuke said, as they walked along. For a brief while he had been holding her hand, but had dropped it. "The more you do it, the easier it gets." He smiled at her. "I wish I was stronger too." She stared at him, her lips pursed, and she looked towards the ground, her eyes filling up with tears.

"Sasuke…" She breathed. "You're so good to me. I don't-"

"You do." He said quietly, as he grabbed their arm. They came to a stop in the middle of the street. Sakura was still crying a little bit. "I want you to succeed. I want you to be great. I want to help you, and I will be there for you no matter what."

He flicked his wrist, and a rose appeared in his hand. He pulled it out and set it in her hair. He almost wished he hadn't- it clashed horribly, but the gesture still had the desired effect. She blushed again and stood there, hands folded in front of her.

"Sasuke…" She murmured. "You're… you're a great guy. I…. I…. I lo-"

She turned away, flushing, and ran off down the street. Sasuke watched her go, smiling, as she suddenly whirled back around.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" She cried out, her tears spraying across her face. And then she was gone.

Sasuke did not waste any time. He turned around and headed back to whence he came. He turned down a different road, and within five minutes he was standing in front of the Flower Shop.

Ding.

"Ah hello-"

Ino flushed as she saw that Sasuke was there, alone. "Sasuke!" She said brightly, as she walked over to him. "It's good to see you!"

Alone, Ino thought privately as she hungrily eyed him. Sasuke smiled at her.

"I've just given away my last rose." He said. "I came by to pick up some more."

"Again?" Ino lamented teasingly as she turned around to pick up her roses. She had been toying with them with her fingers, imagining Sasuke presenting the entire thing to her. "You go through them quick. Does Tenten know?"

"Of course." Sasuke said. "Better than anyone, I would think."

Ino sighed, shaking her head, a smile on her lips, as she handed the roses to Sasuke.

"Will that be all?" She asked coyly, as she fingered her hair. Sasuke smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, that will be all." He said. "Goodbye."

He waved and made his way down the street. Ino stared after him, her heart shattering in her chest. It was like he flirted with her MORE when Tenten was watching!

Sasuke took the Roses back and checked his mail. There was nothing from the mysterious anonymous messenger, but he still had a bunch more other affairs to attend to. He was sitting up in his workspace, writing as a knock came on his door.

"Come in."
It was Naruto. Surprised, Sasuke bid him to sit down as he finished up with what he was doing. He wrote a little bit more sloppily than he would have liked, but he set his pen down and sat with Naruto.

"Hey." Sasuke said. "Where were you? Tenten and I missed you."

"Busy." Naruto said shortly, his face scrunched up. "Training."

"Ah." Sasuke said, as he took in Naruto's expression. He was lying. Something was severely bothering him. "Well you could have let us know. We were disappointed you didn't show. And Tenten's out on a mission. She won't be back for a while."

"Yeah." Naruto said quietly. "I know." He sounded depressed.

"What's up?" Sasuke asked. Naruto tilted his head to the side, seemingly thinking very deeply.

"It's just…" He paused. "I've been thinking, Sasuke… maybe I'm not cut out to be Hokage."

Sasuke gave a start and stared at him intently. "What?" Sasuke asked blankly. "Where did that come from?"

"I've just been thinking a lot lately." Naruto said. "About how things have been going."

"You were never going to be Hokage overnight-" Sasuke began, but Naruto cut him off.

"It's not about that." Naruto said. "After Sakura, and Orochimaru, and what happened, I just…." He stopped speaking, shaking his head. "I lost all faith in myself." He murmured. "I am not normal-"

He paused, looked somewhat anxious for a moment, before quickly getting to his feet. "I-I have to go." He said quickly, before turning and leaving the house. Sasuke stared after him as he ran out without a second word.

What was that all about?

…

This is my plan.

I will travel to Konoha. I will meet with him. And through him, I shall meet with you.

Oh, my love. How I long to see you again. It has simply been too long. My Heart yearns for your touch…