Title: we've come too far to give up
Summary: It wasn't just a dream anymore.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Prompt: Chasing a Dream
Rating: K
Warning(s): None.
Comments: KISHI JUST GIVE US A HUG WHERE HE RECIPROCATES PLEASE THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING FOR.

For three years now, they'd been chasing after Sasuke.

For three years now, they'd been beaten, rejected, belittled by the man in question because he had no intention of coming back. They'd cried and yelled and snapped and screamed, grieving their loss every time they were defeated and every time he slipped through their fingers. For three years, they had endured excruciating pain.

But no longer.

Now, they were all fighting side by side again. Under some uneasy and ambiguous circumstances, granted, but they were together again.

It was amazing. It was like that dream of theirs—the one that was born the morning after Sasuke deserted the village, the one that grew stronger and stronger in their years of searching and fighting and training and trying, the one that kept them going all this time—finally came true.

It wasn't to say that they didn't have doubts about him because really, they all did—he came to their side on the battlefield rather suddenly, after all, with not-so-clear reasons. Days ago, he'd tried to kill them… and then 'things had changed' and he was on their side.

But it wasn't just that. Sakura noticed it, during the fighting, how darkness still lingered around him. Naruto did too. It showed in his mannerisms, in the way he said things, and in the way he looked at them, too. They both knew that he wasn't saved yet—not completely at least. Sasuke still had to be guided into the light, and they knew that—they were willing to be the ones guiding him. They had spent more than three years chasing after him, and it was only natural that they be the ones who helped him take those last steps.

.

.

"Is it over?" Sakura asked, a little breathless as she stood beside him and watched the Alliance cheer victory.

"Yeah," Sasuke answered, swallowing tightly as he observed his then-former-now-current comrades hug and patting each other on the back, laughing and crying with each other while they shouted triumph over the war. Some, he noticed, were kissing or throwing confessions across the field—something that made him shift awkwardly because it reminded him all too clearly of the night he left and his pink haired teammate's lovely, tempting words of forever and always. His eyes left the scene and shifted down to the rocky floor, and he repeated, "Yeah."

The young medic looked at him curiously, frowning a little at the expression he wore. "Are you okay, Sasuke-kun?"

He looked up and caught her gaze, feeling something tug at his heartstrings sweetly when he noticed how worried she was for him. A sigh left his lips, and he shoved his hands in his pockets before pointedly looking away from her and putting on a nonchalant façade. He didn't want her worrying about him for nothing. "I'm fine, Sakura."

She didn't seem too convinced. "You… seemed a little bothered, that's all."

"I'm fine," he repeated, voice firm. "You don't need to concern yourself with this. I'll deal with it." And he spoke truly, because he intended to deal with that night and her declaration soon enough, when things were a little more stable between them. Bringing it up anytime soon didn't seem to be a very good idea—not while the wounds of killing attempts and betrayal were still fresh. They both had some explaining to do, and they both needed to rebuild some of the trust they had lost along the way.

"Sasuke-kun."

There was a touch on his wrist, and his head snapped down in its direction. He found himself surprised to see her hand there. Slowly, his eyes rose and met hers, and she understood the silent question there.

"It's okay." Sakura smiled and gripped him tighter, moving to stand before him. Her smile brightened, and he gave her a weary, almost confused look, before stiffening in shock when she abruptly threw her arms around him and embraced him tightly. He didn't know what to do, didn't know what to say—he was completely taken aback by her touchy behavior. He wasn't exactly expecting her to be comfortable touching him until a while from now, when they would have solved their biggest issues.

And yet here she was, hugging him tightly. Her guard completely dropped, as if she already trusted wholeheartedly. He couldn't seem to take it in.

"Sasuke-kun," she whispered, burying her nose in his dirtied shirt. She didn't seem to mind that he smelt of sweat and blood. "Okaeri."

His whole body softened at the word, and he felt as though all the weight had been lifted from his shoulders, just for this moment. Obsidian stared at the mop of pink hair with the same affection he used to, all those years ago. It made him realise how no matter how much they changed, some things stayed the same.

He sighed, smiling lightly, and wrapped his own arms around her, reciprocating the hug.

"Sakura," he breathed, holding her tighter. "Tadaima."

(A dream that became reality, truly. She didn't need to chase it anymore.)

A/N: Short because I'm trying to catch up and writing long drabbles like the last one is not helping. Also, I don't think this will happen in canon because in my opinion, something will happen in the manga after they fought Jubito, where Sasuke and Naruto will fight. I don't think they'll fight to the death, obviously, I just think the war is not the last thing, hence a SasuSaku hug and welcome back scene is not going to happen when they defeat him, in my opinion. But anyway, I digress.

Oh, and for those who don't know:

Okaeri = Welcome back.

Tadaima = I'm home.

See ya!

DeepPoeticGirl