Author's Note: Again, sorry for the wait. I have been reading your guys' reviews and am thoroughly touched by what you have had to say! I wish I could respond to them individually to thank you guys for your thoughts, but am unfortunately getting by on very little time. So, thank you so so so much! I appreciate you!

I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's the longest one yet (trust me, I know they're short. The wait will be worth it!) Also, I picture Kakashi to be the kind of mentor/hokage who can't help but meddle in the lives of his students. I don't know why, but I picture him as the type of sensei who continues to keep a close eye on his mentees and watches out for them.

***This fic is tightly adapted to Sasuke Shinden and Sakura Hiden. Please read the novels or refer to the summaries. I'm tired of waiting for their story, so have decided to write it myself.

Pairing: SasuSaku

Summary: After 2 years, Sasuke returns to the village where friends anxiously await him. Still troubled by the mysteries of Kaguya and his personal guilt, Sasuke is split between friends and his journey. One specific pink-haired individual has perhaps waited for him with far more dedication than anyone else. Troubled by rising casualties and international dependence on her abilities, Sakura is torn between her love for Sasuke and her duty to her village.

Chapter 5: "Sunshine and Rain"

Sasuke frowned at the red and white fan displayed on the stone in front of him. The last time he had visited this place, he had come with Orochimaru and Taka in order to reanimate the first four hokage and learn what the purpose of a village was. His family's district had been in rubbles and Sasuke had barely managed to locate the stone door that concealed a hidden meeting place beneath the shattered structure of his clan's Nakano shrine. When the Akatsuki had showed up to claim Naruto, the village was completely destroyed by Pein. Despite its location on the outskirts of the village, the Uchiha compound hadn't escaped destruction.

Now, it had been cleared from the shattered pieces of wood and stone that had piled on top of each other. In its place rested an expanse of endless green, free from buildings or any familiar structures that Sasuke remembered from his childhood. There was a sudden sadness that overtook him as he remembered his childhood home and the people who used to occupy the space before him. Other than the memorial before him, there was no lingering evidence of the clan who once lived here. And yet, there was a part of Sasuke that was relieved when he saw the place of his family's massacre wiped from the face of the earth.

After he had left Sakura's several nights ago, he had turned towards the Uchiha compound. Just as he arrived at the border, he had suddenly redirected his path towards the forest surrounding the district. He had been weary from his travel and didn't want to face the ruins of his clan that night. Not in the dark, where the memories of his family's death would have surely haunted him. Instead, he decided to camp out among the trees for a few days until he was ready. It had become a common practice of his, sleeping in the forest. Despite Kakashi's efforts to provide him with a room, the Uchiha had insisted against it. What was the point, he had thought. It wasn't like he was staying long, anyway.

Now, as he looked at the memorial, his thoughts flashed back to the Konoha Military Police Force building. It had been in the same location as the previous one. Had that building escaped the demolition or had they simply rebuilt it the exact way it had been before? The Uchiha crest that he had evaluated just a few days ago stuck out strongly in his thoughts. What was the point of rebuilding it with the Uchiha crest just as it had been when the clan served as the police force?

"I had a hunch you might be here."

Sasuke turned slowly to face the ninja who had suddenly appeared behind him, unsurprised. Of course, Kakashi always had a way of showing up when he was least expected-or wanted, for that matter.

"And I suppose you are looking for me, for a reason?" he replied. It came off more disrespectful than Sasuke had meant it. But it was still better than all the snide comments that had come to the surface of his tongue upon being interrupted by his former sensei. Despite his efforts to change, Sasuke supposed that he would always possess that signature sarcasm of his.

The white haired man came to stand beside him and together they appraised the memorial.

After a few minutes of silence, "Actually, I'm not the only one who has been looking for you." Sasuke received this comment with even more silence. They both knew who Kakashi was referring to. Sasuke had been purposefully avoiding Sakura's bright charka signature ever since he had walked her home a few nights back. It hadn't been too difficult, considering her almost 24 hour presence at the hospital. The hospital was the area he had been staying the farthest away from. Not only was he avoiding Sakura, but he had been dodging anyone whom he had past connections with, especially those who maintained contact with the pink haired kunoichi.

Not receiving any response, Kakashi continued, "I'm here because I've recently received word from Yamato. He says I have a significant number of ninja who are seeking to become Konoha citizens, thanks to you."

Sasuke looked at the Hokage then, understanding dawning on his features. He made an effort not to look even slightly sorry. Instead, the Uchiha smirked and said, "Well, what was I supposed to do? Leave them how they were?"

The ninja Yamato was referring to were the ninja Sasuke had recently released from their bounds to their previous "owners" in a place called the Coliseum. Located on an unmapped island in the middle of the ocean, wealthy individuals gathered at this place to fight their ninja against competing ninja. The rules were that if a ninja was to lose in one of these fights, the owner of the victorious ninja received the losing ninja as their own. If a particularly strong ninja were to partake in the fight, different owners would offer up their strongest ninja in battle in order to acquire the ninja for their team. This was how they advanced their power. He had visited this place with Orochimaru in order to meet Oyashiro En, the leader of Bright Lightning Group's original owner. He had been rumored to collect kekkei genkai and Orochimaru had entered Sasuke in the fight-without his knowledge-with the hope that Sasuke's sharingan might draw the man out. Oyashiro took the bait and Sasuke defeated the man's ninja that had been pitted against him. During the meeting with the repulsive man, Sasuke had acquired the information he sought about Bright Lightning Group. Afterwards, he challenged all the owners in the coliseum, offering the Uchiha kekkei genkai to any who were brave enough to put their ninja forward. In the end, he had been victorious against them all, had acquired them as his own, then set them free. Of course, Yamato, being in constant surveillance of Orochimaur's activity, was nearby and Sasuke entrusted him with the freed ninja.

Kakashi lowered his Hokage's hat, turning to look Sasuke squarely in the face. The mask on his face didn't hide the prominent lines of a smile as he said, "I suppose not. It seems you are doing the right things this time around."

A palm landed firmly on his left shoulder, and Sasuke couldn't help but widen his eyes at the sudden contact from his former sensei. It had been years since he had received a compliment from anyone, let alone any form of physical contact. It was even more surprising coming from Kakashi, a man Sasuke had once believed to be far too disappointed in the Uchiha's past to acknowledge their previous bond.

As if reading his mind, the white-haired ninja spoke, "With everything that's happened recently and seeing how much you are making a difference in peoples' lives, I just want to tell you that I am proud of you. It's good to have the old Sasuke back."

As Kakashi removed his hand and began to walk away, Sasuke was stunned at the words still ringing in his ears as they worked their way into his heart. His gaze followed his former sensei as he walked towards the direction he had come.

"Oh," Kakashi added, turning back to face him. "I suppose since you're the reason for all our new citizens, you won't mind helping me welcome them to Konohagakure."

Sasuke's momentary shock faded at hearing this but before he could interject his argument, the Hokage waved and quickly said, "See you at the gates bright and early day after tomorrow." He quickly disappeared.

"Tch," Sasuke grumbled, turning promptly back to face the Uchiha crest memorial. Smooth Kakashi, praising him just before assigning him work to do. Unbelievable. Grabbing his left shoulder, the Uchiha couldn't help let a smile escape as he replayed Kakashi's words in his mind.

Standing alone in the tall grass, the breeze tossing his hair across his eyes, Sasuke glanced up at the sun. It was warm on his face and Sasuke found that he quite liked the feeling of it. Everything seemed a little brighter these days, a little warmer. For so long, Sasuke had lived in darkness, numb to all feeling except for the hate that guided his path as an avenger. As if he had been stuck in perpetual winter, the sun seemed to be revealing itself to him a little more each day, approaching him, causing a spring of feeling to rejuvenate him.

After Kakashi had left her that night, Sakura found herself not being able to sleep again. Her thoughts kept wondering to Sasuke as she thought about him leaving the village again. She wanted nothing more than to seek him out. Unfortunately, his chakra was nearly nonexistent, as he kept it completely concealed. The only reason she knew he was still in the village, was because Kakahi told her to "go visit a friend." If there was one person the Uchiha had to stay in contact with, it would be the Hokage.

The day after that, Sakura had been so tired that she slept throughout the entire day. She would wake up to eat, use the bathroom, and she even attempted to get up and sit on the couch at one point but ended up falling asleep again. She hadn't realized just how tired she had been and was relieved to feel her chakra replenishing slowly.

At the crack of dawn, the following morning, Sakura was wakened by the faint streams of light spilling across her face from her window. Despite the birds singing outside, Sakura could hear the steady "pit-pat" of the rain on her roof. Glancing out the small window on the left side of her bed, Sakura watched the rain hit her windowsill for a few minutes, then quickly decided to open the window to sit out a little pot of flowers that Ino had given her under one of the drops that was spilling off the awning. She frowned at the sight of her wilting flowers.

Glancing around her apartment, Sakura noticed that like her flowers, her apartment had also been neglected. Unfortunately, due to her almost consistent pace at work, Sakura hadn't been able to clean her apartment in some time. There were clothes towering in the corner of her room, dishes piled in the sink, and thin layer of dust on almost every surface. She sighed at the sight of it, knowing what her mother would say if she were to see her daughter living in this state. Well, it was decided then.

Jumping out of bed, Sakura tied her hair up, changed into some cleaning clothes, and set to work. The rain was a lulling sound and even though she spent hours scrubbing and washing, the noise eased her mind and she began to feel a little of the stress lift off of her shoulders. At one point, Sakura wanted to open all the windows so the rain could come make its noise inside, but she knew that would be a silly thing to do.

Instead, she decided to cook. It wouldn't be long before her food would go bad. She hadn't eaten much the past few days and a lot of her groceries had already expired. Deciding to cook all of what she had left, Sakura ended up making enough food to feed an entire family. As she chopped the tomatoes, she couldn't help but think of the ninja whose favorite food was the red fruit. She remembered Naruto arguing with the Uchiha about whether or not it was a vegetable or fruit. Of course, they had asked her and she told them it was a fruit. She smiled at the fond memory.

Glancing out the kitchen window, Sakura noted that the rain was beginning to get a little heavier. Where was that certain Uchiha right now? What would he be doing? She looked at all the food around her. Well, she could take him something to eat—it was the perfect excuse. If she went looking for him now, would she even find him?

Slipping into the rain coat hanging next to her door, Sakura cradled the bento close to her body to avoid getting it wet. Stepping out into the rain, she glanced in the direction of the Uchiha compound. Well, it was a good place to start.

Sakura was a lot closer to the compound now, being on this side of the village. Why she had moved closer, she had no idea. Maybe it was because she wanted to completely separate from her parents, or perhaps she wanted to live as far away from her other friends as she possibly could. It was difficult for Sakura, seeing everyone move on and find happiness while she waited and waited for the same man who was here and now avoiding her. What did she do in her past life to deserve falling in love with a man who had no desire for her? Would she ever find her own happiness?

When Sasuke was in prison, Sakura had often tried to visit him. She wasn't allowed to see him except for the occasional "check-up" appointment that she was allowed to perform in order to make sure he was healthy and not rotting away behind bars. He would perk up slightly when he sensed her chakra signature enter the building and it broke her heart to see the man she loved bound the way that he was with a seal over his eyes. How they had ever managed to reduce him to such a state, was simply because he let them. She would touch his shoulder kindly and ask him all the procedural questions a doctor would ask their patient. She wasn't allowed more than 40 minutes at a time with him, but in those 40 minutes she would tell him what was going on outside with everyone. Sometimes, but more rarely, would he participate in conversation with her. Once, hearing the guards' footsteps returning, Sasuke leaned towards her, asking "When will you come back?" She hadn't been able to give him a definite answer.

Looking down at the package in her hand, she wished she would have been able to do more for him back then. The only thing she had ever been able to do was work her hardest and wait for him. Would there ever be a day where she could walk by his side, assisting him on his journey?

After a few wet minutes in the rain, Sakura looked up at the small wooden entrance that read "Uchiha." Carved into the supporting posts were two red and white fans, the Uchiha family crest. Well, Sakura thought, here we go. Stepping through the entrance, Sakura found herself staring out at a field of tall grass. She looked left and right, not seeing anyone. He heart sank a little but then she noticed that in the center, rising from the grass, stood a large pillar of stone emblazoned with the Uchiha crest. As Sakura got closer, she could see that the names of every Uchiha had been etched onto its surface. It surprised Sakura to see. She had been here after the destruction had been cleared but never saw the memorial. In fact, she had the feeling that nobody had. Did Kakashi do this? It was something she could see her former sensei doing. She supposed he did it in secret to protect it from would be violators, those who held a grudge against the Uchiha clan.

Squinting in the rain, she reached out to touch its surface. It was cold and wet as the rain bounced off of it. A feeling of sadness overcame Sakura as she trailed her fingers down the list of names, coming to rest over "Uchiha Itachi" and then "Sasuke Uchiha" whose name was at the very bottom of the list.

"Sakura."

She jumped away from it, jerking around on reflex. The bento she had been carrying fell from her hands, the contents spilling out onto the grass. She pulled her hood back from her face to see the figure standing before her.

A rain-drenched Sasuke stood staring at her, a touch of confusion in his features. His coat was completely soaked and water poured from his bangs, running down the sides of his cheeks. For a second, the rain almost made it look like Sasuke was crying, and Sakura couldn't help but realize where she was and imagine what a young, distraught little Uchiha experienced in this place.

"Sasuke?" she called out to him, raising her voice a little over the developing rain. She bent down, scooping up the spilt contents back into its box. "You frightened me."

"What are you doing here?" he asked, taking a step towards her.

"I came to bring you some food" she gestured to the bento, trying to smile at him through the sheets of rain. "I didn't think I would actually find you, though. I'm sorry it's ruined."

"Come on," he said tiredly, waving her to follow him. She quickly did so and followed him towards the woods, wondering what she had done wrong. Sasuke took them to the thickest part of the forest where the trees blanketed the sky, shielding them from most of the rain. He stopped at a large tree, taking his coat off and hanging it on a branch. She glanced around her feet, noting the remains of a campfire and a disassembled structure which she assumed was some kind of tent. Realization suddenly dawned on her.

"Sasuke, you're not sleeping out here, are you?"

He glanced over at her, then sat down, leaning his back against the tree. After a long second, he replied, "It suits me."

She frowned at the sight of him, dirty and wet. When was the last time he had gotten to rest in a proper house? When was the last time he had access to running water and fresh food? She shook her head in disbelief.

"Did Kakashi not-"

"Yes," he interrupted, redirecting his gaze away from her, "he did. I refused."

She squatted down, making herself level with him and saying, "But you're drenched."

His eyes flashed over at her, slight annoyance sharpening his voice as he replied, "I wouldn't be, had someone not been standing like an idiot in the rain. Aren't medic ninja supposed to know something about colds?"

She frowned at him, narrowing her eyes at his attitude. Had coming here really made him this annoyed with her? If he hadn't concealed his chakra, if he hadn't made every attempt to avoid her since walking her home that night, then she wouldn't have had to stand out in the rain like a total idiot. She refused to tell him these things. She also resisted the urge to throw the remains of the bento box at his face. Her scowl softened slightly when she noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the rigid way he held his body, all signs of fatigue.

Suddenly, she grabbed his coat from the branch and threw it at him instead. He caught it, his only visible eyebrow raising in surprise.

"Come with me. You need a shower."