"Man, I'm beat," Suigestu loudly complained, hitting the ground with a thump before lying down. "All this revenge searching stuff can really take a toll on ya, right?"

"You haven't done anything!" Karin shouted, a finger pointed accusatively at him. "All you do is ask for breaks!"

Her attention shifted to Sasuke, who for the most part was ignoring the entire conversation. He had no interest in their complaints but knew well enough that Suigestu wasn't capable of traveling for incredibly long periods of time. Breaks were a necessary stop for the aquatic man so he could replenish his fluid levels.

"Say, Sasuke-kun," She started again, her voice changing tones automatically as she made her way towards him. She latched onto his arms, the action nauseatingly reminiscent of the fan girls back in Konoha. "Why don't we leave Suigestu behind for now? The town isn't all that far, he can catch up. Juugo could also stay with him, while we find an inn to stay at. What do you say?"

Sasuke frowned, swallowing the urge to shove her off him as she snuggled closer into his arm. Instead, he settled for a glare and tried to keep the disgust out of his tone. "Go get food while Suigestu gets water."

His fierce and demanding tone left no room for objections, so she dropped her grip and did as he said. Suigestu grumbled a bit at the order, but nonetheless got up and went to get water from the nearby river.

Sasuke let out a sigh, before emptying his weapons pack and taking an inventory of what he had and what he would need to buy once they arrived at the town. It was a habit that always soothed him with its familiarity.

"You dislike being touched," Juugo observed, sitting down across from him.

"Unnecessary actions," Sasuke simply stated, not bothering to elaborate any farther. Juugo accepted it with a nod.

It was a true fact about him. Sasuke never liked anyone touching him. His mother always told him that the only people he would allow to hold him as a baby were Itachi and herself. He would even cry whenever his father attempted to hold him.

And while he didn't cry when someone touched him as he grew up, he still hated it. The fan girls back at the Academy were brutal in their attempts to swoon him. In fact, his first reaction to anyone touching him after the massacre normally resulted in being thrown off him.

He quickly learned that wasn't acceptable behavior, however, so he mostly resorted to protests or deadly glares.

Then he remembered, with a stupidly familiar surge of emotion, that wasn't necessarily the case with everyone after his family died.

Naruto and Sakura ended up being exceptions to that rule. Mostly the latter, if Sasuke was being honest with himself. Any interaction with the former was mostly out of necessity. Nonetheless, that idiot became an exception as well.

But Sakura-- he would never admit this to anyone-- had a soothing touch he grew accustomed to as a child. Granted, he asked her numerous time to get off him at first, but that was more to refocus their attention and keep the himself from blushing anymore than he already was.

He had no idea how he went from asking her not to hug him to leaning on her gratefully after missions to appreciating the gentle love that radiated off her touch. He didn't reciprocate it, that much he knew, but he was also aware of the effect she had on him.

It wasn't like Karin and her suggestive advances that were more obnoxious than anything. Or the fan girls that cling to his arms as kids. Sakura's touch held something almost healing to it.

It was no wonder a single-- and rather abrupt-- hug allowed him to regain control of himself when the Curse Mark first appeared. An eternal light warding off the darkness that desperately cling to his entire being. He suspected no one else could even hope to have the effect the pink haired girl had on him.

Sasuke pushed those thoughts away as Karin and Suigestu wandered back to camp. It was useless to think of such frivolous things at this point. Sasuke chose his path and didn't intend to stray from it. Any thoughts of Sakura would lead to others that reminded him of the failed past and all the possible 'what if's' that resulted.

He stood up, watching the trees ahead of him and went over the information he had on Itachi now. Where he had been last spotted, how long ago it was, and possible locations he was could be now. He continued going over the little things he knew when Karin's voice broke through his reverie.

"There's a single chakra signature in the area," She told them. "It's. . . Maybe fifty feet from us."

"Only fifty feet?" Suigestu questioned. "You're losing your touch."

"It's not as stinky as yours!" She snapped, before her brows furrowed in concentration. "I believe it's a med-nin based on its aura. Whoever it is, they have near perfect chakra control and it's incredibly gentle. They were probably masking it before, and its presence isn't hostile, so I didn't detect it until now. They're moving closer to us, but they're masking their chakra on purpose now."

Sasuke closed his eyes as he processed the information. Med-nin. Near perfect chakra control. And gentle enough that Karin hadn't detected it earlier.

He opened his eyes, staring at the trees before he sensed it too, almost against his will as he recognized the chakra. He wasn't reaching. It was her.

He flickered away from the camp, aware of the cries that ensued but nonetheless appeared behind her. She must have expected it, for she did nothing but suck in a breath of anticipation.

"Sakura," He breathed out, wondering why the night of his desertion flashed within his mind.

"Sasuke-kun," She greeted, slowly turning to face him. His eyes scanned her face for any sign of why she was there.

He knew it could be pure coincidence since they were in the Land of Fire, but he wanted to ensure it wasn't her intention to find him.

"What are you doing here?" He questioned, finding Karin's observation earlier true. Whatever Sakura was here for, it wasn't for a hostile reason. Her chakra remained rather calm despite both of them hearing his groups approach.

"As much as I'd like to tell you, that information is classified," She answered. Had it not been for the slight waver in her tone, he might have believed her confidence.

He knew his group arrived before them then, but he couldn't take his attention off the girl in front of him. Before, she would have willingly given him any information-- or anything at all, really-- but now she wouldn't?

"Classified," He repeated plainly.

"Only Konoha shinobi of Chuunin level or higher can be briefed of my mission," She answered, her tone becoming professional, like she was talking to a stranger rather than a boy she once confessed her love to. "And you're still a missing-nin, Sasuke-kun. Even if you weren't, you're still a genin."

Perhaps he was a stranger to her. She surely was to him now. He couldn't exactly get a read on her, which annoyed him to no end. Sakura was supposed to be an open book; he was supposed to know what to expect.

He heard Karin snap at Sakura before suggesting they knock her out or kill her. His stare immediately narrowed from the idea of either thought happening. He knew Karin and Suigestu were then bickering with one another again, the back and forth retorts ceasing for a moment when Juugo spoke up.

"Are you one of Sasuke-san's old teammates?"

Sasuke immediately hardened his expression, unwilling to allow any emotions to show. How Juugo knew they had been teammates was beyond him. Had it been him? His tone? The way he looked at someone he considered precious?

Or had it been Sakura, who's words alluded to knowing things about him that he's never revealed to his group before?

She looked away from Juugo, her gaze landing back on him as she fought to keep the small smile from forming on her delicate features. "Though I will always consider him my teammate, yes, I was one of his old comrades."

Suigestu teased Karin again, his words not even registering in Sasuke's mind at this point.

"What are you doing here?" He asked again. This time, he wanted something better than 'Classified'. It wasn't for him, he gathered now.

She let out a defeated sigh. "I sensed you and I wanted to make sure I wasn't going crazy."

So she was truly on a mission and stumbled upon them. Though, if she were on Konoha business, it was highly likely she wasn't on her own.

"Where's Naruto?" He questioned, his agitation growing at the thought of that idiot.

Karin answered quickly, informing him that there was one other chakra signature in the area.

"How'd you know he was with me?" Sakura asked, confirming his suspicion that her shadow was nearby.

Sasuke almost smiled, before he caught himself. He remembered the blonde trailing after Sakura as much as she trailed after him. "Wherever you are, he's bound to follow."

He could tell she was holding back a wide grin, but he saw the elation in her eyes after he said it. All in all, Sasuke shouldn't be surprised that his old teammates grew closer after he left. But a flicker of annoyance passed through him at the idea of Sakura's affections now extending to the idiot she called a teammate.

Sasuke was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Karin suggest that Suigestu should knock Sakura out. A sharp glare was immediately directed at his group, the threat unsaid but still heard.

"Not going to knock me out this time, Sasuke-kun?" She questioned, her head tilting and tone almost. . . teasing.

He mulled over the option-- it was clearly the smart move. Though, the more he thought about it, the more logical it seemed. Sakura somehow stumbled upon his group. She wasn't set out specifically tasked to find him. This was just a chance encounter.

"You aren't a threat," He decided, though the memory of when they first saw each other worked its way to the forefront of his mind. "Unless you charge towards me again; I might have to take precaution then."

He could easily immobilize her if it came to that, though he hoped he wouldn't need to expend the extra energy on fighting a fruitless squabble with Sakura. He's heard rumors of her devastating strength-- she's become skilled enough on the battlefield to kill an Akatsuki member, according to Kabuto.

Best to play it on the safe side, then?

"Are you going to threaten to kill Naruto again?" She responded, the slightest gleam of fierce protectiveness shining in her bright stare. So, they really had grown closer in his absence, huh?

Sasuke answered after a moment. "Not today. I've got better things to do than entertain that idiot. You should leave."

When she laughed, so lightly that a passing wind could carry it away, Sasuke saw the briefest image of Sakura three years ago. It was one of those moments when she had genuinely giggled because a child had clung onto him and he was really trying to not punt the kid.

He saw that same expression now-- Sakura hasn't changed all that much.

"It's been a few years, Sasuke-kun," She told him with a smile. "But even you know I'd never walk away from you. At the very least, that hasn't changed."

She hasn't changed at all.

He directed his attention to his group, his harsh stare resonating an order that he was glad they picked up on and didn't decide to comment on.

"See ya around, Pinky," Suigestu waved, an amusing grin forming when he looked at Sasuke. Juugo also said a quiet goodbye, his concern morphing into confusion as he turned to leave.

They would bring it up on their travels. If they were smart, they wouldn't. But knowing Suigestu, it would be the first thing he questioned once he rejoined them.

"I'm a Konoha shinobi, Sasuke-kun," She told him, waiting until his team was far enough to continue. "My mission right now takes priority over taking you in."

"I know nothing I say will make you come back," She confessed, the pain in her voice causing him to look away from her.

Just like the last time, he couldn't look her in the eye. Eyes are said to be windows to the souls and Sakura already knew him too well for her own good. If she could see the emotions in his gaze, she would be able to see right through him. And the emotions that caused him so much turmoil. . . He couldn't let her see them and inevitably let her in.

She continued anyway. "And that you are fully capable of knocking me out and leaving me for Naruto to find in a bit. It would be really inconvenient to be unconscious today, too. I just. . . I just want you to know, that even after everything, you'll still have a home to go back to."

"I'm all alone," He denied, shaking his head. "Konoha stopped being my home years ago."

"Home isn't always a place, Sasuke-kun," She informed him, her words so tender that he looked back towards her. "Home can just be people who love you. And you still have people who love you. I still love you. But I'm not naive enough to think that love will fix everything. You need to deal with your demons, even if I disagree with how you've gone about it."

"We would have helped you, you know," She continued. "But we're willing to wait for you, anyway. I'll always wait for you no matter how many times you leave me behind."

At this, Sasuke turned away from her. The memory of that night, where she not only confessed her love for him but also offered to help him with his revenge forcing its way back into the forefront of his mind. Unyielding love and support despite leaving all those years ago.

He smiled at the thought. He wanted to sever his bonds from the past but there were some that stubbornly remained. Even if he couldn't reciprocate the same emotions she embraced wholeheartedly, he appreciated it nonetheless.

"You're still. . . really annoying," He said, distantly hoping she understood what he meant, just like he hoped all those years ago. "Thank you."

He didn't exactly mean to echo the words he said to her three years ago, but they were probably one of the only things he got remotely correct that night.

Sakura was incessantly annoying. She was annoying because she brought up emotions from a past that was violently ripped from him by the hands of the person he cherished most in his life. She brought back light and hope with her unwavering love.

Sakura was like spring-- refreshing, lively, and beautiful. And she was the only person capable of ridding some of the darkness in his soul.

Sasuke needed that darkness, however. He needed to leave, to walk directly down a path seeped in red in order to get his revenge.

Sakura was annoying because she made him hesitate all those years ago. And today, she was annoying because he still felt that tug in his heart, though he was able to easily override it now.

Sasuke left then, grateful she wasn't going to try to interfere this time. He didn't look back but he knew she was smiling too.