Tsuki:

Okay hewo! Told ya the next chappy would be up soon. Any who, this one's short, but the next one will be longer, guaranteed! Well, today to do our disclaimer is the one and only, Ino!!!

Ino: *squeels* thanks so much Tsuki-chan! Alrighty, so Tsuki does not own Naruto! Poor thing. Oh, and remember to stop by Yamanaka flower shop, where-

Tsuki: Alright, thanks Ino… *sweatdrop* Ah our favorite blonde banshee…

Ino: What did you call me!? You're getting as bad as Billboard Brow, Tsuki!! Don't make me-

Tsuki: *Ino rants in the background* Well everyone, here goes nothing!

^.^

Sakura sat in her room, silently staring at a picture of her old team. Naruto and Sasuke glared daggers at each other, while Kakashi had his hands ruffling their hair. She was happy as could be, smiling as if nothing bad had ever happened in between the boys. She wished so desperately that she could go back to that time and freeze the moment, just smiling like that with her boys forever and ever. It was dark outside already, and a few tears slipped onto the glass cover of the photo. Sakura put it back on her nightstand so that it would face her, and then laid down, staring at it long and hard. Praying, hoping, wishing, begging for it all to be a dream, and any moment she would wake up and get ready for another day of training with them. A totally normal happy day.

That never happened though, and she was stupid to wish it was a dream she knew. Rain tapped her window panes, the cold beginning to seep through, and she absent mindedly wondered what made Sasuke return. This was at least the twentieth time she's pondered that since she heard of his return, but still…

Still what, Sakura? She thought. You still think he came back for someone other than himself? You still hope that maybe he might just possibly care for you in some way? She glared at herself for saying such a thing, because she knew Sasuke wasn't like that before Orochimaru-teme bit him. Her gaze shifted to a newer picture of team 7, Yamamoto smiling casually, Naruto glaring at Sai, Sai smiling ever so slightly, and her, with the fakest smile of all. Or was it fake? I can't remember. No it was fake, or wait… She couldn't recall; it had been a while ago. She was tired, but she simply could not bring herself to sleep. No matter how many tears she had fought from weeping, no matter how much stress and pressure her heart had gone through today, she just could not sleep.

You see, sleep quite obviously brought dreams. These dreams that would most likely occur tonight were not ones Sakura wanted to have, filled with pain and memories she tried to etch away from her thoughts completely (-failure-). No, she simply did not want to be troubled by these dreams- nightmares tonight. She just wanted to cry and be numb, to not feel anything. Isn't feeling just so over-rated? People have been feeling for too long. She laughed to herself slightly at the bad humor.

Everything's so over-rated. The hate, the hurt, the joy, the sorrow, the anger, the frustration… She yawned. And yes, the love too, possibly the most of them all. Love… too much, too much, too… Her bed was so comfortable, and she was so sleepy…

A knock echoed from her front room all the way down to her bedroom. She woke up with disheveled hair, a tear-stained face, pillow-imprints on her forehead, and a massive headache. She moaned in disregard to the visitor, not wanting to leave her comfy shelter. Yet the person at the door was so damn persistent. The knock sounded again and again and again until finally she rose from her covers like a stiff zombie.

"Coming, coming." She yelled out her window, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes. On her way down she grabbed a brush, and combed through her hair, then threw it in a quick pony. The door swung open before she reached it.

"Hey Sakura, I found your spare key, you know, you really shouldn't keep it under the mat, that's so typical. Seriously, that's the first place anybody would look." Ino ranted.

"Hey Ino, yeah I'm fine, thanks for asking."

"I'm sorry, I know. Come here." She pulled me into an embrace and just hung on for a moment. "You want to talk about it? I'll put on some tea, go sit in your living room." Jeez, you'd think this was her house. Sakura obeyed and headed to her living room, plopping down onto her comfy couch. God everything's just so cozy today… Maybe it was just because I let all my sad out last night. Sakura laughed a little, and Ino poked her head out from the kitchen.

"What are you laughing about?" She inquired, still looking at me. I waved, dismissing her back to her tea-duty.

"Nothing Ino, just something I was thinking."

"You're going crazy Fore-head, I swear." Her voice had a joking tone to it, but it sounded a little concerned. Does she seriously think that him returning is making me go insane?

Ino waltzed back out into the living room, and set a dup of steaming tea in front of Sakura. Said girl sniffed it and grimaced. "Yuck Ino, green tea, really?" The blonde rolled her eyes.

"It helps with aging. Now anyway, so what's up? How'd everything turn out?" Once more, Sakura grimaced.

"He didn't say a word to me. He barely glanced even. Do you think he…" A lump formed in her throat. "Do you think he forgot about me?" Her voice cracking at the end, Ino embraced her friend.

"No, I don't think he could ever forget you. He was probably just nervous, you know? I mean, he was about to get the death penalty. Still, that stupid teme traitor…" she grumbled on.

"Ino, please don't call him that."

"Oh, right, sorry Sakura-san…" Everything was quiet for a moment, Ino sipping her tea, Sakura staring at the steam that swirled in different shapes as it rose, then disappeared. "So… I take it you still love him…"

"I… I don't know. Yes maybe? Yes, I think I still do. You never really fall out of love with someone, do you?" She laughed darkly, with little humor in her voice.

"When are you going to visit him? Can you at least?"

"Yes, I can. And I'm not sure, tomorrow perhaps."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, Naruto and Kakashi will hopefully. If not, I'll call you." Ino nodded. Then laughed with less humor than that which was absent in Sakura's own, moments before.

"Tomorrow then, is the day the heart is broken and bandaged at the same time, no?"

"Ino, that was a terrible metaphor…"

"I know, I'm still working on it, cut me some slack. Well okay," Ino rose and stretched. "I've got to get to the flower shop, you can help out today, okay? Anything to get your mind off that trai- Sasuke."

"Right, thanks so much Ino…"

"Lady Tsunade, we have an urgent update!" The white-haired ANBU stormed into the Hokage's office, where she herself was a bit tipsy from the sake, yet immediately snapped out of it from the panicked tone of the nin before her.

"Yes, what is it? It better be important." The ANBU nodded.

"It is my lady! Orochimaru lives! Some of the scouts spotted him on the outskirts of The Land of Fire, yet his plans are unknown. We must take precaution, it's rumored he's still after Sasuke."

"Very well then," Tsunade stood up and took on a bolder stance from her previous slouch. "Send the troops out to spy on him, I want the Black Opps to remain here, as well as all the Genin and Jounin. We will not let this slide, this is life or death. All missions outside the village are to be canceled, we must prepare for anything Orochimaru has set up for. Send your squad out there stat, Tsuki!" The ANBU nodded and disappeared in a puff of gray smoke.

So, Orochimaru returns… Tsunade spun her chair around and stared out at Konoha, so peaceful after the rain-storm yesterday. Sasuke returns too. Well, this could be interesting.

Sasuke sat in the front room again, as ANBU around him began moving in the furniture they had reprimanded after he returned, as to clean it. His eyes remained closed and his thoughts turned to his pink-haired team-mate. This time however, they did stray. He pondered why she hadn't visited him yet, he had assumed that on the second day she would have mustered up enough confidence to come and at least interrogate him. Yet there was no sign of her, nor even her chakra sign. Surely she hadn't forgot about him, no he imagined her mind didn't stray too far from him much in the past day. The fact was though, that she hadn't even come near his house.

The chakra restraints were really beginning to bug him, but he did not try to break free. In reality, Sasuke wanted to stay in Konoha, and though he'd never admit it, he was grateful for the second chance. But he could not shake the feeling of wanting to see Sakura, no matter how hard he tried. He couldn't even find a reason! Possibly it was because he already saw Naruto, and wanted to see the rest of the team. That didn't seem to really hit the nail on the head though…

There was a faint chakra of some sort, which sent chills up his spine. One that he could sense from anywhere, from fear of it, fear and hatred. Then again, perhaps it was only his imagination.