Sasuke's hands shook as he scrambled to open the post that he had come home to. Well, one item in particular – he'd recognise that handwriting anywhere.

Rinn...

Trying to calm his nerves, his heart raced as he read her note, and he was suddenly overcome with an onslaught of different emotions. Of course, he was over the moon and incredibly excited to hear that his best friend was finally coming back to the village after all this time! He wondered what she looked like now, what awesome new skills she had learned in the mountains, and whether she still thought of him as her best friend.

And then it hit him... guilt. Dread. He had all but ignored Rinn for the past few years, not because he wanted to but because it was the only way he managed to cope in her absence (amongst other things...). Sasuke had buried his head in the sand, and now he was going to have to deal with the consequences of it.

Would she forgive him for cutting her off? Would she still want to be his friend when she came back? Now he was worried, frightened even. After all the time he had spent fantasising about the day she would come back, he suddenly realised how different it could be in reality, and he had nobody to blame but himself.

*SLAM*

Sasuke threw his fist against the wall in frustration, eventually leaning his back against it and sliding down the wall so that he was sitting, knees up. He still clutched Rinn's letter (very delicately for such a heavy handed young ninja...), and read it over and over, just to convince himself that it was really happening, at last. He pictured how she might look now, how she might behave, and he realised he didn't know anything about her anymore. Sasuke let out a defeated sigh, running his hands through his jet black hair and finally getting to his feet.

I'll just have to get to know her again, if she'll let me.

- X-

The next day, Sasuke woke up wondering if he'd dreamt the events of the previous evening, and before he knew what he was doing his feet had stumbled him all the way downstairs where the letter from Rinn still lay on the table. Running his finger over it gently, he read it through once more before he quickly got ready for his day of training...

-X-

*WHACK*

"All right! I got him again!"

"NARUTO! Stop beating up Sasuke!"

"Well if Sasuke would actually pay attention then maybe it wouldn't be so easy for me to deck him!"

"I swear if you so much as harm a hair on his head I'll..."

"NARUTO! SAKURA! Stop all this arguing will ya? You're giving me a headache and I can't concentrate on my book," Kakashi interrupted, fed up of Sakura and the blonde's incessant squabbling.

"Well you should be training us then rather than reading your pervy books!" Naruto retorted, pointing at Kakashi accusingly, "You're not even paying attention to what we're doing!"

I hate to say it but Naruto's got a point… Sakura thought, eager to see where this was going to end.

Kakashi sighed and rolled his eyes.

"All right, all right. I'll watch you spar. But only once, then I'm getting back to my reading, got it?" Kakashi reluctantly said.

Naruto grinned, keen to show off to his sensei how easy he was finding fighting Sasuke today. Speaking of which...

"SASUKE! WHERE ARE YOU? GET OVER HERE YOU SCAREDY CAT!" Naruto bellowed, holding his hands around his mouth in an attempt to broadcast his voice further still.

Sasuke landed in front of Naruto with a soft thump, leaving his spot on the tree branch above and greeting Naruto with a rather unimpressed look on his face.

"Quit your yelling loser. What is it?" Sasuke asked, folding his arms and glaring at the blonde, raising an eyebrow sceptically.

"You and me! One on one! Let's go!" Naruto replied, taking up his fighting stance, quickly glancing over his shoulder to check that Kakashi was still watching.

Sasuke clicked his tongue in irritation, before turning his back on his teammate.

"Not again. It's just a waste of time. Can't you fight Sakura instead?" He said, beginning to walk away from Naruto to find himself another tree, further away.

Naruto grabbed him by the shoulder, forcing him to spin around.

"Stop being so high and mighty and fight me!" Naruto shouted, already getting riled up by Sasuke's superiority complex.

"You know Sasuke, you should probably make a bit more effort with your training if you want to pass the Chunnin exams... You'll more than likely be fighting people from other countries in the assessments, so it won't do you any harm to entertain your teammate in this instance," Kakashi sensibly explained, keen to ensure his team's survival in the upcoming exams.

"Tsk. Fine," Sasuke hesitantly agreed, activating his Sharingan.

Kakashi watched the ensuing battle with great interest, as he witnessed Naruto managing to put Sasuke on the defensive for most of the match. This was most unlike Sasuke, who normally had absolutely no trouble blocking and countering Naruto's attacks. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but Kakashi thought that Sasuke seemed quite... distracted.

"All right. Sasuke, Naruto –that's enough. Let's stop for lunch" Kakashi interjected, breaking up the fight. He'd seen enough and they'd been fighting for over an hour.

"What! But Kakashi-sensei..." Naruto whined.

"I said enough Naruto. Go and eat your lunch. Besides, I need to have a little chat with Sasuke."

The said Uchiha glared defiantly at his sensei, half of him thinking of taking off before Kakashi could start speaking to him but the more studious side of him forced him to stay put.

"Is there anything you'd like to talk about Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, casually leaning on a tree trunk in front of his student.

Sasuke glared daggers at him in response, now wishing he'd taken off whilst he'd had the chance.

"You know... While I was watching you fight Naruto you weren't your usual self. You seemed distracted. Careless." Kakashi pressed.

Sasuke clenched his fists in irritation, but he couldn't be annoyed at his sensei because he was right - he was distracted. The fact that Rinn was now coming back to the village meant that his mind was all over the place, he just couldn't think about anything else.

"Is there anything I can help with Sasuke...?" Kakashi pushed, keen to know what was troubling his pupil.

Sasuke sighed. He didn't want to tell him too much. But he did need to be prepared for his best friend's return and so...

"How long does it take to travel from the mountains to the village?" Sasuke asked.

So that's why he's distracted...

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, everything becoming suddenly clear.

"I'd say about 8 days, weather permitting..." Kakashi said, grinning to himself.

Rinn's letter was dated 6 days ago when it arrived yesterday, which means...

Shit.

She'll be arriving tomorrow!

Sasuke's expression suddenly became slightly panicked as he realised how soon Rinn could be arriving, and this did not go unnoticed by Kakashi.

"Is... everything ok Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, rather smug that he'd worked out what was going on yet Sasuke had no clue that he had been found out.

Sasuke began to walk away from his sensei, and then just as he was about to pass his teammates he stopped and called back to Kakashi:

"Everything's fine Kakashi. I have things to do this afternoon, so I'll be going now. I'll also be missing training tomorrow. See you guys soon." He called out, holding his hand up as he walked away from all of them.

"WHAT? Kakashi-sensei surely you can't let him miss out on nearly two days' training? What about the Chunnin exams?!" Naruto exclaimed accusingly, mouth full of food whilst pointing his chopsticks first in Kakashi's direction, then to that of Sasuke's slowly disappearing figure.

"Yes sensei, what about our preparations for the exams?" Sakura pressed, although she was more concerned about missing out on spending more time with Sasuke than becoming stronger for the upcoming events.

Kakashi chuckled to himself, before casually opening up his book once more.

"Sasuke has things he needs to do, so I see no problem letting him have some time off. He is the strongest team member after all..." He trailed off.

That should be enough to get them riled up. Hopefully it will encourage them to train harder, they'll be facing some tough opponents in the exams.

Kakashi watched Sasuke's form disappear into the distance as Naruto started mumbling about being stronger than Sasuke, shortly followed by a scolding from Sakura.

-X-

Sasuke struggled with his shopping bags as stumbled into Rinn's house. Even though he had stopped replying to her letters, Sasuke had carried on keeping her house clean and dust free the whole time she had been gone. It had made him feel closer to her whilst she was away, and by looking after her house he felt that in some strange way he was also looking after her, and it brought him comfort. He placed the bags down onto the kitchen-top, and began to unpack the groceries – he wanted to make sure she came home to a full fridge and full cupboards, especially after she had been through such a long journey. Next, Sasuke took out various items for the bathroom and ran them upstairs; things like shower gel, shampoo, toilet paper and so on. Other than that, the house was in the same condition she had left it in, so Sasuke didn't tamper with it too much. He sat on her sofa for a while, contemplating an endless chain of combinations of what might or might not happen tomorrow when she arrived, before realising he should probably go home and make some dinner.

After he had eaten, Sasuke washed an put away his dishes and wandered up to his bedroom for another night of broken sleep, getting into his bed. He never slept well anymore, not since Rinn left the village. Sure enough, around an hour later he awoke in a cold sweat, panting and heart racing. Cursing as he went, Sasuke threw back his covers and wandered downstairs to his kitchen. After splashing his face with water in an attempt to freshen up, Sasuke reached into the cupboard under the sink to pour himself what he like to call his "Night cap". Eyeing the bottle, he wondered for the first time what Rinn would think of his use of alcohol to help him sleep, but this thought quickly turned sour as his grip on the glass tightened.

Well she shouldn't have left then should she?

*SLAM*

He forcefully crashed the now empty glass on the table. Sasuke was torn. On the one hand he was still raw and seething about the fact that she had left in the first place, and that he even cared what she thought of him after all this time – she didn't even know him anymore. She didn't know the struggle that he had gone through whilst she had been gone. However, on the other hand, he was annoyed with himself for blaming her for leaving when he knew she had no choice in the matter, and he also knew that it had been him that had tried to cut ties with her by not continuing to write. Now that he looked back, he deeply regretted not maintaining contact with her, and he was becoming increasingly nervous about seeing her. Sasuke swore again, slamming his fists down onto the kitchen-top in frustration, before calming his breathing and trudging back upstairs to try and get some sleep. Unfortunately for the Uchiha, his mind was wired, and he was tossing and turning all night.

-X-

Sasuke awoke to his morning alarm thoroughly exhausted. He hadn't managed a wink of sleep through the night as he was too busy worrying about Rinn's arrival, but he couldn't let that get in his way now. He had to make sure he was there to meet her as soon as she stepped foot into the village.

Getting out of bed, he spent more care and attention than usual scrubbing up in the shower, and he checked his reflection nervously several times before he left the house. He mentally scolded himself, what was he so worried about? This was his best friend Rinn, what did it matter how he looked? Pushing these strange feelings from his mind, he made his way to the main gate of the Leaf Village.

As he approached the gate, he stopped and stood, waiting. However, after ten minutes or so his pride got the better of him, and he started to think how foolish he looked. What would everyone think if they saw him waiting there alone like a little puppy dog? He simply couldn't allow it. So, to fix his problem, he decided to climb a nearby tree and sit up on a branch within the leaves where he was less easy to see, and waited there instead, going over and over in his head what he would say to her when she arrived.

-X-

"Say, Rinn? How far is it now to the village?" Tatsuo asked, running up to his teammate and draping an arm around her. Tatsuo had grown into a handsome young man, with orange spiky hair to rival even Rinn's, and a tall muscular build with chocolate brown eyes.

"Yeah Rinn, how much longer do we have to walk for?" Shichiro joined in, also running up behind her. Shichiro was not as much of a stocky build Tatsuo, but he was also an attractive individual; with piercing blue eyes and shaggy shoulder length black hair. He also had black rune-like tattoos on the sides of his neck which Rinn always found quite beautiful in their own way.

"Don't you boys remember how far your own home is?!" Rinn mocked, giggling at them.

"Hey we left when we were younger than you, cut us some slack will ya?" Tatsuo replied, letting go of Rinn and giving her a playful shove.

"Now now Tatsuo save your play fighting for the Chunnin exams," Their sensei, Toru chimed in, smiling at his team. He had blonde hair not dissimilar to that of Naruto's, although it was slightly longer and choppier, and wore a menacing looking black cloak. Despite this threatening image to the innocent bystander, Toru in reality was a massive wind up merchant and although very powerful was not that much more mature than the students he was teaching.

"Don't insult me sensei! I won't be play fighting in the Chunnin exams!" Tatsuo huffed, Toru's comments obviously getting to him.

"Hmm… I didn't know you were capable of anything but play fighting Tatsuo," Shichiro chuckled, earning a glare from his comrade.

"Well if you ask me, both of you are only capable of play fighting, and I'm gonna beat bothof your asses into the dust in these exams!" Rinn added, howling with laughter.

Toru, who by now was walking ahead of his squad, suddenly heard a yelp and turned around to find them in a heap on the floor, the two boys obviously having leaped on top of Rinn in protest of her previous comments. Toru merely laughed, scratching the back of his head as he carried on walking ahead, leaving them to squabble and giggle amongst themselves.

-X-

Sasuke sighed in annoyance as the third or fourth squad that did not contain Rinn arrived through the gates to the Leaf. He had been waiting in the tree, watching the road like a hawk, for the past few hours now, and he was beginning to get hungry. Sasuke could not bring himself to go and get some food however – he was terrified he would miss her arrival and he would never forgive himself if he did. He sighed once more, adjusting his position in the tree, silently wishing he'd been less distracted that morning and actually brought some food with him. He turned his eyes back to the road, his heart speeding up for the fifth time that day as he saw another group of people approaching the village.

As their figures grew closer, he noticed a flash of orange hair.

His breath hitched.

Is that...?

Sasuke began to get to his feet, eyes sharp on the figures approaching.

"Damnit!" Sasuke exclaimed in anger as the figures grew closer, and he realised that this orange-haired individual was in fact male. He figured they must just be yet another squad arriving for the Chunnin exams, although if he was honest he thought the third team member walking ahead of them looked at least ten years older than them and quite out of place.

As the group came even closer still however, the two younger boys lagging behind got pushed to either side, as a sprightly character sprung through from between them, beaming as she looked up at the gate to the Leaf Village.

Sasuke's heart stopped.

"Rinn!" He said, before realising she was too far away to hear him. He was about to jump down and run up to her but his body had him rooted to the spot. His stomach had the feeling like he was falling, and his hands and legs were shaking.

"For god's sake Sasuke, move!" He said to himself, willing his body to do what his mind commanded, telling himself to stop being such a coward. Sasuke saw Rinn's bright eyes look around frantically, now looking ahead of the gate, despite not having crossed it yet herself.

Is she looking for... me?

Sasuke finally managed to get a hold on himself and leaped down from his lookout post in the tree, running towards her as quickly as he could, no longer giving a damn what he might look like to anyone that might be watching.

Rinn stopped dead in her tracks, her face showing an expression of disbelief, followed by complete and utter joy as her she saw her friend approaching. She dropped all of her bags and was about to start running to him herself but he was so quick he got to her before she could even take a step forward. Rinn began to slightly open her arms, hoping to catch Sasuke in an embrace as he reached her, but she could almost see on his face the very moment he decided to stop himself as he quickly skidded to a halt in front of her.

Once again, Sasuke panicked. But this time his eyes were absolutely glued to his friend, mouth slightly agape as he got his breath back. He was absolutely mesmerised by the sight of her, and he couldn't look away. Her wild orange hair was now cut to a few inches below chin length, had a quirky wave to it and he loved the way one side was tucked behind her now multiply pierced ear. She had grown to have a great figure - not too slim whilst also strong-looking. Her face had become more mature and almost elfin-like. He at last looked into her emerald eyes, one of his favourite things about her, and he had to fight the urge to let his eyes water when he saw how vibrantly they still sparkled. She was beautiful.

Realising what an idiot he must look, he let himself crack a now rarely-seen smile as he reached for her wrist.

"You still have these?" He asked her, gesturing to the bracelets that he made her, which she still wore proudly.

"Sure do! I see you still have yours too Sasuke!" She said, beaming, taking Sasuke's hand in hers, inspecting his bracelets that she had made for him when they were younger. This caused Sasuke to blush immensely, and he slowly took his hand back, flustered.

"Of course I do Rinn, why wouldn't I?"

"Oh I dunno... Now that you're a big manly ninja and all, I thought they might cramp your image," Rinn teased, poking his arm.

Sasuke smiled to himself, "Don't be silly, these are never coming off!" He said, poking her back.

The two just beamed at each other, both feeling unsure and awkward about what to say and do, but they could not take their eyes off of one another.

"Sooo... are you two just gonna stand there all day? Who's this Rinn?" Tatsuo interrupted, prodding her in irritation for being ignored for so long. In truth, she had completely forgotten her teammates and sensei were even there the moment she had laid eyes on Sasuke.

"Haha I'm sorry guys! Sasuke, these are my teammates Tatsuo and Shichiro, and my sensei Toru. Guys, this is Sasuke, my best friend!" Rinn said, gesturing to each person as she said their names.

The boys mumbled their bumbling acknowledgements to one another and then the group stood in silence once more, still not passing through the gates to the Leaf. Strangely enough, Sasuke was the first to break the silence.

"Rinn, let me help you with your bags. We should probably go inside the village," he said, picking up all of her things, so that all she had left to carry was her small shoulder bag draped across her body.

This act of kindness earned a glare from Rinn's darker haired teammate who huffed off ahead, dragging Tatsuo behind him through the village gate and off into the distance.

"Well, I'd better go after them and find out where we are staying. We will rest tomorrow Rinn, but the day after I expect you at the training grounds 9:30am sharp, OK?" Toru instructed, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Sure thing sensei, see you then!" She replied, before he took off after the rest of his squad.

She then turned to her friend, who unbeknownst to her had not stopped watching her since she arrived.

I can't believe she's really here. Am I dreaming?

"So Sasuke, where to now?" Rinn asked, keen to get moving.

"Home?" He replied, smiling happily at her.

"That's the best thing I've heard all day!"