Sasuke glanced back to Sakura, stood outside the district predominantly occupied by the Uchiha Clan.
"Are you sure you want to stick around?" They had been walking around most of the village by now without issue but he was seemingly drawing the line here.
"Yep." Sakura nodded as she hopped down from his back, crossed her arms over her chest as she gave him a smile. "Naruto and me hang out all the time, we even get Sai-sensei to come along sometimes and we spend the day at his place!" She frowned, Sasuke suddenly forced back when she poked him in the chest. "But we never get to hang out with you if we're not training. You always say you have to head home."
"I do." Sasuke hadn't lied to his teammates, still couldn't meet her piercing green eyes. "I just…my situation's a little complicated." He didn't know how else to say it.
"Well I want to uncomplicate it!" Sakura was back to smiling, planted her hands on her hips. "So, let's go!" She grabbed his arm before he could try and refuse, pulled him forward with strength her slim form just shouldn't have. She pulled him past the walls emblazoned with the symbol of the Uchiha Clan and into the district proper.
He recovered in time to tug her off the main path, take her down side streets and alleys he had started memorizing when he was younger.
She wasn't protesting at least, wasn't trying to go on a sightseeing tour from the looks of things.
He could mitigate what she saw at least, not let her see what usually happened when he came back.
If he had remembered everything right, most of the other kids would still be busy in the Military Police Force program. Most of them had either entered it right out of the Academy or were in it while they were still Genin on the records.
It was an offer he hadn't been extended. He hadn't expected to get the chance but…No, he was used to feeling left out.
'At least this won't be a disaster. All of them should be gone.' He was home in no time, slipped through the last narrow alley that let him out on the street. Sakura had been silent as he pulled her along by her hand, he could feel green eyes staring at him.
His normally exuberant teammate wasn't smiling or dashing off right now, seemed set to just watch him as he pulled her along behind him.
He really wished she would act like she usually did, not be so quiet.
He knew it was already going to be hard enough but if she was acting like this?
'I'm overthinking this.' He stopped himself from shaking his head, ignored the way the two guards outside looked at him as he pulled his teammate pass them and up the stairs. 'They won't be home. Probably. Dad's been busy at the station and Mom's taking up more missions since I graduated. And Itachi is still on that mission with Shisui.'
Coming back to an empty house should upset him but this was something he was used to, had gotten used to and told himself it was alright.
He took off his shoes at the door, Sakura promptly plopped down to the floor to tug at her gold and white boots and the golden spurs she wore on top of them.
"I'm gonna need a minute." She was at least back to smiling as she looked up at him from the ground. She nodded towards her boots. "These things are pretty tight!"
"Take your time." Sasuke thought about hanging his jacket up near the door but through better of it. He hadn't gotten a new shirt after his other one had gotten wrecked during the fight with Takako back on the bridge.
He headed to his room.
On the door, like always, a note had been left on it.
In this case, two of them. One was stuck to the door from a kunai and another by a senbon.
He at least knew which was which. Mother always preferred her needles compared to Father using a spare kunai.
Come to the station when you return. We need to talk.
Father
Sasuke slipped the note into his pocket, hesitated to grab the second one for only a moment. Dreading it wouldn't change that he was expected to read over both.
I will return shortly. Speak with your father.
Mother
It was more or less the same as Father's note, Sasuke letting his forehead fall against the pockmarked door for a moment. Only a moment. He just needed a moment to collect himself.
"I just had to have a free day today…" Sasuke restrained himself from banging his head on the door, decided to just get it over with now. He would find a decent enough change of clothes and go from there. "…I can get through this…No change from the usual…"
He just wished Itachi wasn't gone, that he could at least talk with his brother before going to see Father.
He searched through his closet and found something that would work well enough, a tight sleeveless navy blue shirt, a white stripe going down along the zipper and two white bands going over his chest to either edge. He tugged at the high collar for a moment to adjust it against where it sat at his neck before he was satisfied.
He checked his back in the mirror, made sure there wasn't anything there.
He breathed out a chilled breath of relief.
He found Sakura looking around at the few pictures hanging on the walls, frowning as she searched one after another.
"Why aren't you in any of these?" Sakura turned to him almost immediately, her frown growing at the look on his face, how unhappy he had seemed since getting to the Uchiha district.
"I-I don't take a lot of photos I guess." He tried to laugh it off, tried to smile like he should. "I get camera shy." He hardly believed his own words.
She was still frowning.
"Then we're gonna take a ton of pictures later. Me, you, Naruto, and Sai!" She nodded as she spoke nothing less than a fact to her, a familiar smile returning. "But we're going to keep hanging out before we do that!" She planted her hands on her hips, gave a resolute nod. "No more being camera shy or I'm going to challenge Naruto to help me."
"Sure, sure." He just nodded, didn't know why he was smiling so much at what she was saying.
It was just pictures after all. He shouldn't feel so happy about something that simple.
