I stared at the spot where Suigetsu had just been for a few more seconds before I started swiping my hands at the empty air.

"Are you freaking kidding me, Sasuke?" I yelled. "You think it's okay to tell your friend to dump me off in the middle of the night? Not even having the guts to do it yourself?!"

Oh was I pissed.

That's his solution? To just push me away the second I got too close to him?

I snatched up the fallen bag and marched the rest of the way home, the fabric bunched under the pressure of my tight fist. My eyes kept ahead of me the whole time, gaze hooked squarely on the large gate getting nearer with each step.

I felt it the moment I stepped beyond the village's barrier, felt the slight give as it let me pass. Even though I'd been gone for so long, it would always recognize me and let me in. Let me come home.

The walk was quiet, no one stirred along the streets as I walked them, my body taking the familiar path to my house.

It wasn't long before the front yard came into view, and my numb walk turned into an all out sprint. However, I stopped when my hand wrapped around the handle. The coolness of it halting my movements so strangely that I could do nothing but stare down at it.

I was really home. This wasn't some sort of trick, I was really, really home.

He'd let me go.

After all that time of begging him, why did he choose now to finally listen?

I took my hand off the knob, my fingers splaying open as if still caging the cool metal in a cage.

I took a step back.

I took a breath.

What was the reason? Why now?

Pounding footsteps made me turn around, focusing on the blonde racing down the street and straight at me, arms encircling me into a tight hug.

"You're alive," Tsunade said over and over again, her voice bubbling out and breaking the silence dawn brought upon the village.

It took me a second, but then I hugged her back, eyes pricking at the corners. "Yeah, I'm okay."

She pushed me away from her, eyeing me up and down, inspecting me for injuries or anything else that may be out of place. "What happened to you, Sakura? How did you escape?"

"I-"

"I got your letter, and Gaara tried to do a locator spell on it even though you said it wouldn't work. We tried everything we could to find you, but nothing was working."

I nodded. "Yeah, I-"

"It was so frustrating, doing nothing. I couldn't take anymore of it, I had to do something-"

"Hey," I snapped, interrupting her tirade; she watched me in stunned silence. "Are you going to let me explain or what?"

She bit the inside of her cheek, but nodded. It was weird to see her to animated, so talkative. We had such a low experience rate of conversing, so my disappearance must've really shook her.

I turned and walked over to the hanging bench on the far end of the porch. Tsunade followed close behind.

It was there that I told her everything. Well, almost everything.

Some parts I kept to myself, like the way Sasuke looked at me sometimes, or the way he was a soothing presence.

Or how he came to me while I pretended to sleep and touched my cheek.

No, those pieces were all mine.

But, I had no problem talking about the training, the boredom I'd find myself in when there was nothing to do, and the cave full of vampires.

A look of worry mixed with pride flashed across her features when I told her how I'd killed all three of them by myself.

"And then, he let me go," I finished, flexing my fingers against the tops of my thighs.

"Let you go?" she asked. "Why would he do that?"

I shook my head. Words were unable to leave me.

"You must know of his location then if you left?" she hedged then. "Could you lead us to him?"

"No," I said. "He had an associate drop me off while I was out of it. I woke up not too far from the gate, so I wouldn't be able to lead anyone anywhere."

She mulled that over, her eyes slightly narrowing as she looked just to the right of my face.

The door opened and out walked mom. She was still in her pajamas and she walked a few steps straight out. She held her arms close to her body with her hands, took a deep breath through her nose and looked to the sky, the scattered clouds above now coating the sky in a bright orange and pink mixture.

I shifted my weight to stand, and at the slightest creek, her head snapped over in our direction. As her eyes fell on me, they filled with tears, and her mouth hung open in surprise. "Sakura?"

I stood fully then, taking the few steps in her direction and hugging her. She hugged me back, her arms wrapping around me in a vice like grip, slow sobs escaped her as she repeated my name.

Tears did fall from my eyes then. I'd missed her, and as soon as I saw her a relief washed over me. I was home, I was with my family again.

XXX

After talking for longer with the two of them together, I told them I needed some privacy, that I would be in my room for a bit. They both looked nervous, as if leaving their sights for even a second would be all the time needed for me to disappear again.

I gave them both a half grin, grabbed the bag Sasuke had given me, and then walked down the hall to my room.

I shut the door behind me, leaning my forehead against the familiar wood. The bag dropped from my hand, thudding against the floor, the sound echoing around the small space. I glanced down at it, leaving my forehead against the solidity of the door as I did so.

It was something that I didn't want to open, the last piece that Sasuke left me with. I already knew what it most likely was, but a large part of me wanted to keep the bag shut, keep that part of my life tucked away.

A sigh escaped me and I turned against the door, sliding against it with my back until I reached the floor. I plucked the bag up and set it in my lap, pulling the top flap back to reveal the Eye of Amavi within the otherwise empty bag.

I couldn't help it: I rolled my eyes.

The orb felt just as it always did as I picked it up, the smoky swirls dancing beneath the glass before Sasuke's face appeared.

My thumb ran over the smooth surface, right over his face.

Even though I'd never been in there before, I remembered the bits and pieces of what I got a glimpse of that one time Sasuke had taken me to his living quarters. So, it took me a few seconds to figure out that he was in his bedroom, sitting on the edge of his bed, his hands clasped tightly in front of him, his back and head bent over a bit.

I couldn't see his face completely, which annoyed me greatly. Every time Sasuke seemed to be having some sort of emotional struggle, he hid his face. Why not once, just once, could he let me see what he was feeling?

A slight groan escaped me as I went to put the orb back in the bag, but my hand stilled at seeing the small note tucked away at the bottom, hidden by the orb before.

I replaced the paper with the orb, and then shoved the bag underneath my bed.

Unfolding the page, I saw Sasuke's scratchy handwriting.

Sakura,

I know you are most likely upset with me, but trust that I have my reasons.

Be safe.

Sasuke

I stared at the note, and then I flipped it over just in case I'd missed anything on the other side. Nope, completely blank.

That was it?

That's all that he had to say for himself?

He takes me away, unwilling to bend in my pleas to go home on the preface that I train with him and grow stronger. Then right after I get hurt, he has Suigetsu dump me off at home without another word?

What the hell was that all about?

I crushed the paper in my fist, crinkling it completely into a ball. I threw the damn thing under my bed, right next to the bag.

I never wanted to look at either thing he'd left me with again.

A scoff escaped me.

Reasons? What reasons did he have for pulling me any which way he wanted, whichever way was most convenient for him?

Whatever reasons he thought made sense were complete crap. Yes, I was happy to be home, but I wasn't happy with how it happened. I was not some doll to throw around on a whim. He had no right to cast me aside without even having the guts to face me, to talk with me about it.

He was a coward.

He broke apart my world, crumbled the foundations of everything I'd ever known.

He made me break my own rules, and it hurt.

He hurt me.

XXX

Sasuke, what a dummy! -_-

To angelicfrosty: Oh yes, haha don't count Itachi out yet! He is definitely going to be coming back. :)

Q: What are your hobbies?

A: Soooo aside from reading and writing, I would have to say playing video games. :) Some of my favs include the Legend of Zelda series, the Paper Mario series, Pokemon, Star Fox (GC), Smash, Mario Kart...hmmmmm I'm pretty sure there's something I'm forgetting, but these are the big ones! I can replay them any time, love, love, love! Haha I've played Ocarina of Time so often I can prolly play it with my eyes closed. XD