Authoress' Notes: Here's another one of the chapters. There are only a few left on my computer. So far I've had two reviews and some interest in the story, and though it's a weak response, as I edit these chapters I find myself with some inspiration for this story. I will most likely be continuing it with new chapters either when I have the free time or when my Summer break starts on the 1st of May.

Chapter 3 - Meant to Live

Dreaming about providence and whether mice or men have second tries.

Maybe we've been living with our eyes half open, maybe we're bent and broken.

We were meant to live for so much more, have we lost ourselves?

Somewhere we live inside, somewhere we live inside.

We were meant to live for so much more, have we lost ourselves?

Somewhere we live inside.

- Meant to Live, Switchfoot

Tsunade sat behind her desk, her face impassive, and her fingers massaging her temples. This was just a headache and a half that she really didn't need right now – not on top of her worry for Jiraiya. Team Kakashi and Team Kurenai stood in front of her with their four guests – three of them in restraints. Only one man was free, and given his large size, Tsunade assumed he was the Juugo Sakura had spoken to her about. She already knew what she was going to do with him, but it was the other three that gave her pause.

She really didn't need this right now.

Kakashi had already reported on the mission's events and success, and had informed her of the two surprises' – as Sakura had put it – supposed desire to come to Konoha. Of course, like Kakashi, she would never trust them at their word.

"You two! Step forward!" she finally barked, motioning to two of the three shackled nin – their names were Karin and Suigetsu if she remembered correctly.

They both stepped forward from their positions, Suigetsu with a bored look on his face, and Karin with her face carefully blank.

"I don't trust either of you," Tsunade said simply from her place behind her desk. It wasn't a very necessary statement, but it gave her another second to collect the rest of her thoughts. "But it's late and I don't want to deal with all of this right now. So I'll give you an evening's respite from questioning. Tonight, you will both stay in our prison, and then tomorrow you will be taken to meet with our interrogation experts. After that, depending on how well you cooperate, we'll talk about your futures – and I will take heavily into account that you both willingly came here when you could have gone your own ways. Is that understood?"

She watched the two nin expectantly and they both nodded, their expressions unchanging.

"Fine," she said acknowledging their head nods. "Now," Tsunade continued, turning her attention to the big man, "Juugo, was it? Sakura has already spoken to me about your case. A jail cell with all the comforts that we can give will be provided for you until we figure out a solution to your problem. Sakura's investigation will begin tomorrow morning to speed this process along as much as possible."

Juugo also nodded his head in response to her words and Tsunade smiled sadly. It wasn't hard to see the burden this man bore and how much it bothered him, and there was no way that she could hold him accountable for any actions he may have taken while in a rage. But her first responsibility was to her village and he could only stay here as long as he was not a danger to Konoha's safety. She only hoped, for Juugo's sake, that Sakura could help him effectively – and quickly.

"Well then. Yamato, Sai, Hinata, Shino, and Kiba – I'll have the five of you escort these two and Juugo to the prison. Once there, please ensure that Suigetsu's and Karin's tenketsu are still sealed, though they may be relieved of their restraints," Tsunade ordered.

"Of course, Tsunade-sama," Yamato answered, and without further ado he ushered the four nin under his command and the three members of the former Team Hebi out the door, though not without many backwards glances from all of them into the room.

When the door shut firmly behind the exiting group, Tsunade turned towards her biggest problem. He was staring at the ground and had yet to make eye contact with her.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

His name seemed to do the trick. He finally looked up and met her eyes. Tsunade did not know him well, but still she thought he looked like he was barely tethered to the world. He didn't look satisfied, he didn't look angry, he didn't look proud, he didn't even look annoyed.

"Now what am I supposed to do with you, a traitor to his village?" she mused aloud, watching him intently. Even so, in the corner of her eye, she could still see Naruto bouncing on the balls of his feet and clenching his fists, his brows furrowed, and his face contorted with his worry.

Tsunade wanted to smile in spite of the situation. Naruto was too easy to read most of the time. He was clearly excited that his friend was back in the village, but at the same time, nervous about Sasuke's future. She hid the grin that threatened to blossom on her lips. She couldn't help but wonder how the blond would react to the punishment she had planned for Sasuke if the Uchiha proved to have the potential for redemption.

Sasuke hadn't answered her question, but she hadn't thought he would. It was meant to be rhetorical after all. So she moved to her next question. This encounter was not something she could simply push to tomorrow. Naruto and Sakura would not let her. This had to be dealt with here and now.

"Is it true that you killed Orochimaru?" Tsunade finally asked the stoic dark-haired young man, beginning with an easy question that she already knew the answer to.

While Tsunade considered Sasuke, he was watching the woman in front of him, his face expressionless. He knew that the woman was looking for something from him – something that would determine his future here, Sasuke assumed. He needed to answer her questions appropriately if he wanted any chance of escaping incarceration.

So for this simple question, he nodded once, but did not speak.

"And is it also true that you killed Uchiha Itachi?" Tsunade continued her questioning.

Sasuke nodded again.

"When you left the village did you leave of your own accord?" Sasuke could see the woman's face taking on as blank of an expression as the one he wore. He guessed that she was masking her thoughts and intentions from him.

He treated her to the sight of another nod.

There was a moment's pause, while Tsunade eyed him before resuming her questioning.

"And were you planning on ever returning here when you left?" she finally asked him.

The question hit Sasuke with all the force he imagined the punch Sakura had dealt the ground on their way here contained. He hadn't expected her to ask him something like that – what he had expected were questions about what he had done and learned while with Orochimaru. He knew she was watching him, waiting for his answer. He could also feel Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi's eyes on him.

But, what had been his long term plan back then? He must have had one before he had become so consumed with gaining power and killing Itachi that he had even forgotten his desire to revive his clan.

What he did remember was that he had been frustrated with his apparent lack of progress and with how weak he had seemed in comparison to Naruto at the time. He had only wanted the power to defeat Itachi. Is that when he had lost sight of any other future? He made the effort to searched his memory, but nothing else came to mind.

As the seconds wore on, he knew he had to answer, and he felt like an honest answer would impress the Hokage more than a lie. His conviction to stay here had only grown as they had walked back. He really had nothing else now except for his vow to revive his clan... and the few people who had never given up on him. Even now he could feel the annoying pull of his ties with his old teammates.

"I don't know," he finally muttered, unable to express his answer appropriately without words.

"Then what were your plans?"

His next answer came more easily, given his last thoughts: "At that time, I didn't have any past that man's death."

Tsunade noted that the fact that he was talking was a small miracle in and of itself. Plus, his answers, though simple and not very revealing of anything, sounded like nothing other than truth. In that, they were enough for her to surmise that the young man in front of her wasn't a lost cause. Yes, it was an undoubted fact in her mind that he was bent and broken, but that just meant that he could be put back together.

"And now that your brother is dead what will you do? If I granted you your freedom, would you make a life in Konoha?" she questioned him.

The way the question came out, he knew she wasn't looking for a right answer, but an honest answer. What could he say? He glanced away from Tsunade's measuring stare and looked at the people in the room with him. There was Kakashi, his face concealed by his mask, and Sasuke wondered for the first time how his teacher felt about his betrayal. After all, the man had spoken to him about revenge the very day he had decided to leave, and Sasuke had ignored his words.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, a voice nagged that Kakashi's words had held truth.

He turned his head away from the man and looked instead to Naruto. Ever optimistic, even now the blond's lips kept twitching up as if he wanted to smile. Despite everything Sasuke had done, Naruto was still overjoyed to have him back and didn't even seem to think any less of him. It was incomprehensible to Sasuke who thought that Naruto should be angry at him after everything that had taken place...behaving much more like Sakura when she had slapped him...

He turned to take in Sakura, who was staring at the ground. Where Naruto was wide open about his feelings, after her initial hug, her slap, and then her claim that she wanted him home, the way she treated him had become almost guarded. His mind took an unwilling turn as he remembered that this was the same girl who he had once been able to read so well. Now she was a mystery with her chuunin standing, her newfound strength, her medical skills, and her calm demeanour.

Again he found himself asking what had happened.

And it sort of irritated him that it was a mystery, that he didn't know how and why she had changed.

"Yes. I would," he finally told the Godaime, turning his attention back to the woman who held his fate in her hands.

Tsunade heard Sakura's muted squeak of happiness and saw Naruto's grin come take its proper place on his face. Kakashi was quiet though, and he seemed to be considering the young man's brief answers with a lot more care than either Naruto or Sakura had done.

Tsunade herself was hiding a soft smile. She was genuinely happy for her student and Naruto – especially because their story now had the potential to have a much happier ending than her own. She wasn't a blind woman. She could see the resemblances between her genin team and Team 7 – especially given that she had trained Sakura, and the girl's teammates Naruto and Sasuke had each been trained by one of the woman's own old teammates. And like Orochimaru had left them and betrayed Konoha, eventually meeting his death, Sasuke had done the same, only Naruto and Sakura had succeeded in bringing back their runaway teammate. And now it even looked like they might get some semblance of their life back.

But for that to happen, Sasuke had to once again become the person that both Naruto and Sakura had known. Tsunade would give him the opportunity to do that, while doing her duty to the village and duly punishing him – albeit with a severely reduced sentence.

"You have betrayed your village – a crime that would normally be punishable by death. But you have also rid Konoha of two of its strongest enemies, and you have never taken action against the village or its shinobi...or so those who have had contact with you since your leaving have rigorously maintained," Tsunade began. It was true...in a way. Naruto, Sakura, and even Sai and Yamato had not wanted to bear official witness of Sasuke's fights with them, and Tsunade, on her part, had not insisted.

"You claim that you would stay here if given your freedom, but forgive me if I don't trust you," Tsunade continued keeping her voice even and acting every bit the Hokage. "Your chakra is sealed and it will remain that way for a year. In that time, you will perform community service for Konoha to repay your debt for the crime of leaving your village. After a year, if you have not given me any reason to find you untrustworthy, your chakra will be unsealed and I will consider reinstating your position as a shinobi of this village."

"And before you say anything, understand that your punishment has been severely reduced from that of death or imprisonment," Tsunade pointed out quickly as she sensed the Uchiha tense at the mention of community service. He couldn't know exactly how lenient she was being for Naruto and Sakura's sake – at the very least he should have been imprisoned for years if not for his entire life. "Regardless of your supposed desire to stay here, you have not returned here willingly, Uchiha, and this is the most lenience I will grant you. That being said, though I have spared you imprisonment, you will not be allowed to live here on your own terms."

Sasuke pondered the Hokage's words. He was getting off incredibly easy. No death sentence and no imprisonment. Yes, community service sucked, but if he wanted to stay here as a free man – or as close as he could be to one with his chakra sealed –, he had no other choice in the matter. But what did she mean by him being unable to live here on his own terms?

"I have a few stipulations," Tsunade began, and he felt himself tense in expectation. "Firstly, until the people of Konoha are accustomed to your presence, you may not walk around the village without the company of a member of Team Seven. Secondly, you may not leave the village ever again unless I give you clear permission – if you do leave, I will throw your ass into jail without a moment's hesitation even if you come back with the heads of Akatsuki. And thirdly, you will live in the vacant apartment next to Naruto's until I allow otherwise," Tsunade told him, finally letting a smile come to her face.

Since the loud and messy Naruto had come back from his years away, the apartment next door to his had remained conspicuously empty with no one willing to take on the hyperactive neighbour, and Tsunade had given serious thought as to how to best punish and rehabilitate Sasuke at the if he ever returned. As the apartment next to Naruto's had continued to remain empty, Tsunade had acquired the property – just in case. Making the Uchiha live next to Naruto had seemed like an obvious addition to her rules for Sasuke – not only would he be unable to avoid his teammate, he would have to deal with having a loud, excitable neighbour.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He had to be Naruto's neighbour? And if he wanted to leave his apartment, one of his old teammates or his old sensei needed to be his chaperone? And hadn't Naruto always been loud? Still, he grudgingly had to admit that the whole situation was better than being imprisoned.

Meanwhile Naruto was cheering at the thought of having Sasuke as a neighbour. The apartment next door to his had been empty since he had returned and he had been wondering if someone would ever move in.

Tsunade caught sight of Naruto's cheering and raised a hand to quiet him.

"I'm not done yet," she reminded the nin in the room, shooting Naruto a glare. "You will also be submitted to questioning about your time away from Konoha – especially any knowledge about Kabuto, and Orochimaru's techniques and experiments," Tsunade declared. "Tomorrow morning, you will meet with Hyuuga Neji and Kakashi in my office at the hospital at nine o'clock sharp. Provided they're satisfied with your answers, when you're done with the questioning, you will promptly begin your community service there."

"Wait! So Sasuke will be working with Sakura-chan?" Naruto questioned excitedly.

"Yes and no, Naruto. Obviously he won't be working with Sakura – he's not a trained medic. What Sasuke will be doing are any odd-jobs that we need done at the hospital. This way, I'll be able to monitor whether he's performing his community service to my satisfaction or not," Tsunade explained with a satisfied smirk.

But Sasuke didn't believe that was the entire truth. She had surely had something else in mind when choosing the hospital – he could see it in the smirk she wore. He considered protesting the type of service she had assigned him, but as the thought flashed across his mind, Tsunade's smirk disappeared and she shot him a glare as if she could sense what he was thinking. At that instant he realized that Tsunade could assign him something much more annoying than menial chores at a hospital.

No, this was not ideal, but he had made his choice and he would deal with the consequences. Regardless of its flaws, the punishment he had been given was better than jail time. This way, he could at least practice his basic taijutsu and see more than the same four walls every day – and maybe show Tsunade that he could be trusted to have his chakra unsealed.

"Now, Sasuke. I will give you access to your funds so that you may support yourself and I will also have someone drop off the things from your old apartment sometime tomorrow," Tsunade continued, and then turned her attention away from him and to Sakura. Sasuke followed the woman's gaze, and noted that Sakura was staring thoughtfully at the ground.

"Sakura," Tsunade demanded the young woman's attention, and Sakura looked up accordingly. "You will meet Sasuke tomorrow morning and escort him to the hospital since I doubt Naruto will be awake and Kakashi would be late. Afterwards, you may gather whatever equipment you need from the hospital and begin your work with Juugo."

"Of course, shishou," Sakura answered with a firm nod.

"Then you, Naruto, and Sasuke are dismissed," Tsunade concluded, tossing a small key to Sasuke, who caught it with ease. "That's for the apartment. Sakura can take the shackles off."

As Sakura gave her another respectful nod of the head, Naruto was already leaving, Sasuke having the sense to follow after him. As Kakashi made to leave after his students, Tsunade cleared her throat.

"Sadly, Kakashi, I still need to speak with you."

Naruto was talking his ears off.

Not that the information Naruto was giving him was entirely pointless. They were presently both sitting on stools at Ichiraku under careful scrutiny of the owner, Sasuke having already finished his ramen, while Naruto's fourth bowl was finally nearly empty. So far, Sasuke had heard that all of their genin acquaintances had made chunin – except for Naruto because he had been off completing important training with Jiraiya, or so the blond shinobi had emphasized –, that Neji, Temari, and Kankuro had made jounin, and that Gaara was the Kazekage. Naruto had then proceeded to tell him how Ichiraku was still as good as ever, how he and Sakura had defeated Kakashi in a repeat of the bell test when he had returned from his training, and how nothing in Konoha had really changed – especially now that Sasuke was back.

Sasuke couldn't disagree with that last statement more.

As soon as they had left the Hokage Tower, Sakura had excused herself, which had resulted in Naruto whining about how Sakura was ruining their reunion. She had begged exhaustion, and had left then, with nothing more than a simple goodbye. That was nothing like the Sakura he remembered. She would have been excited to go out as a team. No...she would have been excited to spend time with him. But since she had left the room where he had awoken this morning, she had shown him only traces of the Sakura he remembered.

And that bothered him in an annoying way he couldn't place.

Naruto finished his ramen and paid for both of their shares since Sasuke would be without money until tomorrow, and then the two resumed their walk to Naruto's apartment building, Naruto falling uncharacteristically silent as they took their first few steps down the road.

"You know, Sasuke," Naruto finally started, "you would have usually told me to shut up by now."

Sasuke said nothing, and he heard Naruto sigh.

"You know. It's okay to talk to us. We want you to talk to us. We missed you," Naruto told him, his tone insistent.

Sasuke still said nothing.

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything. I know you missed us too. Especially Sakura-chan. I mean as soon as you woke up this morning, the first words out of your mouth were: Where's Sakura?" Naruto continued, his tone becoming more teasing.

"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke finally muttered in retaliation as unaffectedly as he could. Internally, he was remembering how automatically that question had come to his lips. But Naruto was just being his usual stupid self. The question about Sakura's whereabouts that morning had been nothing but natural given that he had awoken to the rest of his old team and that Sai character.

"That's more like it, teme," Naruto cheered, punching Sasuke in the shoulder.

Then they settled into silence again. And it was strange. Naruto had always been brash and loud, and after having travelled with Karin and Suigetsu for a time, Sasuke was not used to such quiet.

"Why didn't you just give up on me?"

The question had slipped from his lips before he became conscious that he was even thinking about it. Somehow he managed to remain stoic as Naruto's surprised face turned towards him.

"Because you're my best friend," Naruto answered simply with a bright smile. "And because I know you were meant to live for so much more than your revenge. You're supposed to be here, with us, doing missions for Konoha and growing old and powerful like Ero-sennin and baa-chan. Avenging your clan was just one stop on the road, and sure, on the way there you got a little lost, but now you're here and you're right back on track... And I'm sure you'll come to see that too if you don't already."

Sasuke almost stopped in his tracks. So far, Naruto had done nothing to dispel the notion in Sasuke's head that the blond boy was still the same loud, optimistic, loyal, friendly, and determined shinobi in his memory. Now though, Naruto was talking almost like he had...grown up. It was then that Sasuke realized that it had been three long years and that was more than possible.

He spared a glance at Naruto, and, seeing that the other young man was regarding him curiously, Sasuke realized that he was conveying the shock he felt on his face. Sasuke quickly smoothed his visage into its usual unexpressive mask, but the damage was done. Naruto's curious look twisted into a knowing smirk, and Sasuke didn't have to read minds to know that Naruto was satisfied to have evoked such a large, nonnegative response.

"Whatever, dobe," Sasuke finally retorted.

Naruto just laughed loudly.

"It's just like we're kids again, teme," Naruto choked out through his laughter, "except now I'm the one who's pushing your buttons."

Sasuke couldn't even deny the truth in that statement no matter how much he wanted to. It seemed like everything that Naruto said hit home and made him react in a way very much like his twelve year old self would have. He grew annoyed, and felt his competitiveness bubble to surface, absently noting that no one had been able to bring it out like Naruto. This time, it was his win though. His pride and arrogance surged, and his lips twisted into their own smirk.

"Whatever, dobe," Sasuke retorted again. "But remind me... What have you done since I left? I mean, I've taken out two of Konoha's biggest threats."

Naruto blanched and then scowled.

"Whatever, teme," Naruto grumbled. "I'll show you how strong I am. And as soon as Tsunade baa-chan gives the okay and your chakra's all freed up, we're going to fight and I'm going to kick your ass."

"They'll be helping you to the hospital when we're done, dobe," Sasuke responded, his tone still arrogant.

Inside however, he was wondering how the hell Naruto's presence and their stupid fighting could possibly feel normal and surprisingly welcome.

"Oi, teme. We're here."

"Why are you prowling around here in the middle of the night?" he asked her.

"I knew you'd come this way...if you were to leave...so I just waited here," she answered him, wringing her hands together in front of her as she took in the pack on his back.

"Get out of here and go back to sleep," he commanded her, his voice cold.

She didn't move. "Why won't you say anything to me? Why do you always keep so quiet? You never say a single word to me."

"I told you, I don't need your help. Don't try to look after me."

She was hurting, but she kept going despite the pain in her heart. "No matter what, you always just hate me, don't you... You remember don't you? When we became genin, the day when our three-man team was first decided... The first time we were here by ourselves, you were so mad at me..."

A memory of that day flashed through her mind before she was returned to the present by his words. "I don't remember that."

"Haha..." she tried to laugh it off, to lighten the heavy atmosphere that was weighing down on her. "Yeah, I guess you're right...that's all in the past, huh? That's when it all began though. You and me...along with Naruto and Kakashi-sensei... We did all sorts of missions, just the four of us. It was painful and difficult at times. Even with that though...I still enjoyed it. I know all about your past Sasuke. Even if you get revenge though...it won't bring anyone happiness. Not even you, Sasuke...nor me..."

"I already know...I'm different from you all...I can't follow the same path as you guys... Up until now, we've done everything as a group. But there is something else I must do... Deep inside my heart, I've already decided on revenge. For that reason only do I live... I'll never be like you or Naruto."

She felt so sad for him. Tears started rolling down her face. "Do you really want to go back to being alone? You told me how painful it was to be alone. Right now I know your pain...I may have friends and family... But...if you were to leave...to me...to me...I would be just as alone as you..."

"From here on out we all begin new paths."

She was desperate now. Her heart was breaking. She was trying her hardest not to sob, but it was impossible to keep from crying. "I...I...love you with all my heart! If you were to stay with me...there would be no regrets because every day we would do something fun...we'd be happy, I swear! I would do anything for you! So... Please just stay with me...I'll even help you with your revenge... I don't know what I could do but, I'll try my best to do something... So please stay with me... Or take me with you if you can't stay here."

"You really are...annoying."

Her heart shattered. "Don't leave! If you do I'll scream!"

He disappeared from her sight, and then she felt his familiar presence behind her.

"Sakura...thank you."

"Sasuke-kun..." she muttered as she felt a pressure on her neck. The last thing she saw was the ground before her eyes fell shut.

In reality though, Sakura's eyes were opening wide as she gripped the covers of her bed in clenched fists. She was sweating profusely, and tears were pooling in her eyes. It had been so long since she had dreamt of the night he had left – more recent memories and horrors had long replaced that particular nightmare.

As she took deep calming breaths, sitting up in bed and throwing the covers back, the first thing she realized was that she was still in her clothes, not having bothered to change once she had reached her apartment. The second thing she took in was that it was still early in the night – through the glass doors that led to her balcony she could see the moon was high in the inky sky.

She hated nights like this, where her nightmares refused to let her sleep. It had been okay when she had still lived with her parents, but they weren't here to comfort her anymore. She stood up on shaky limbs and walked over to the glass doors, wrapping her arms around herself protectively as she took in the sight of Konoha in the nighttime. It was beautiful – but it was not enough to soothe her.

She knew why she had dreamt about that night. Her old pain, her new hope, the bubbling uncertainty, and her eternal love were all warring for first place in her thoughts, but it was one emotion, an emotion that she hadn't even recognized in herself before her dream, that drowned them all out and won the competition for her attention.

Fear.

Sasuke was back, and she was terrified that she would lose him again.

Her trembling increased, and the sobs she had been holding back threatened to burst from her lips, but through sheer will power, she held herself together. But she knew her will wasn't going to be enough to hold the fear at bay for very long. It was just too much for her to deal with on her own. She couldn't stay here by herself...not tonight.

And she knew just who she could count on – the one man who had upheld the promise of a lifetime with her.

Without a second thought, she grabbed her bag from their mission, and slipped out of her lonely apartment.

It was midnight, and Naruto couldn't sleep...which was something wholly unusual for him. Usually, he was out like a light the second his head hit the pillow no matter how early or late. Tonight however, he couldn't fall asleep – though not for lack of trying. There were too many thoughts running through his head...thoughts about his new neighbour.

The one that stood out the most was that Sasuke was just on the other side of that thin wall...right there! And if Naruto banged on it a few times, the other shinobi couldn't not hear it. Overnight, Naruto had gone from being as far away from Sasuke as he could imagine to having Sasuke – the closest he would ever come to having a brother – within a distance where the raven-haired young man would always hear him if he called.

The other thoughts on his mind ranged from Sasuke's punishment, to his behaviour on their walk to the apartment building from the ramen stand.

'That was almost like old times,' Naruto thought as he smiled at his ceiling.

No, Sasuke wasn't exactly the same as when he had left, but with every passing moment Sasuke spent with them and in Konoha, he seemed to be showing traits more and more like the Sasuke Naruto knew.

Unbidden, the words Itachi had spoken to him while he was searching for Sasuke came to mind: Sasuke's heart is still a blank canvas – the right person could paint it whatever colour he wanted.

Not that he was inclined to believe anything Itachi had told him, but if the Uchiha had been right, did that mean that right now they were painting Sasuke's heart?

At this, Naruto's thoughts turned to his partner in that they... Sakura... Why had she left them after the meeting in the Hokage's office? And why had she looked so...well frankly, why hadn't she been as happy as he was? Naruto knew that she had wanted Sasuke to come home as much as he had – in this he was sure he was not wrong. So what was going on with Sakura?

Someone knocked on his door and Naruto wondered who it could possible be at this hour.

He jumped out of bed and strolled across the messy floor of his apartment. When he opened the door, he could only stand there in shocked silence.

Sakura stood in front of him, tears streaming down her face, and her mission pack slung over her shoulders. She was staring at him with wide, pleading eyes.

"I... I can't be alone tonight. I need a... a friend. Can I... can I stay with you, Naruto?"

How could he turn her away?

"Come on in."

Sasuke hadn't been sleeping when he had heard footsteps on the landing outside of his apartment. Soon enough, a knock had followed the footsteps, and after a moment, he heard the sound of the front door of the apartment next to his whining open on unoiled hinges.

More silence. And then her voice.

"I... I can't be alone tonight. I need a... a friend. Can I... can I stay with you, Naruto?"

He could tell she was crying. Of all people, he would know better than anyone else what she sounded like when she cried. How many times had he heard her tear-laden voice?

What caught his attention even more than her choked back sobs though, was her presence there. She was visiting Naruto in the earliest hours of the day and asking to spend the night with him. When had the two gotten so close? In his absence? But, no. Naruto himself had told him that he had been away for almost all that time, and that the time he had spent back in Konoha had been filled with missions.

"Come on in," he heard Naruto reply, and then more footsteps as Sakura entered the small one room apartment next to his.

"What's wrong, Sakura-chan?" Naruto finally asked quietly after a bit of shuffling, but in the silence that blanketed the night, Sasuke could still hear it.

It was quiet for a minute, and Sasuke started to feel the beginnings of curiosity creeping up on him. Sakura had always been talkative, and she had spoken her mind about everything – from the curse seal on his neck during the chunin exams, to her feelings for him the night he had left. Why was she so hesitant now?

"I'm... I'm scared, Naruto," she finally responded quietly. "I'm terrified that... that we're going to lose him again."

Was she speaking about him? Naruto's answer indicated that he seemed to think so.

"Sasuke's not going anywhere, Sakura-chan. Everything's going to be alright. It'll all work itself out. We just need to give it some time," Naruto told her, his voice calm and soothing.

Sakura laughed through her tears. "When did you become the smart one?" she asked him with saddened mirth.

Naruto said nothing, and another brief silenced followed her question.

When she resumed speaking, it was in that same sad, soft voice: "He made a team, Naruto. Without us. He should have known we would have helped him... So even if he says he wants to stay here, I can't help but wonder if it's only because of the location. What if he wants nothing to do with us? What if we brought him here only to lose him all over again?"

Sasuke had long hardened his heart to the world around him. He had been an avenger, set on his path, one that he had been convinced diverged from that of his teammates. He had run from them – the people who cared about him most in this world – because he had needed strength to accomplish his goal that he was convinced he couldn't have gotten if he had remained.

And yet, words spoken by a girl he had been determined to forget nagged at him.

He should have known we would have helped him – those had been Sakura's words. And she was afraid of losing him? Her and Naruto were just so damn persistent and it was too easy to remember old times with team seven – the happiest time of his life since his entire family had been murdered.

More words were spoken by Naruto as he reassured Sakura that everything would work out just fine, but Sasuke didn't really hear them.

Instead, he thought about what Naruto had said to him – that avenging his clan was only one stop along the road. It was not the end of his path, not his only reason to live. He had killed Itachi, he was alive, and he still had a goal for the future – a new path to travel. One that Naruto and Sakura had managed to rejoin when he had continued on and left them behind as completely as he could. If their paths could rejoin, maybe they had never been on such different paths as he had thought.

A whirlwind of old emotions and memories, his new observations, and his plans for the future engulfed him, and the emptiness that had encompassed him when he had realized he had succeeded in his revenge was pushed back even further than it had already been by the mere presence of his teammates.

As he listened to Sakura climb into Naruto's bed, halfheartedly warning him not to try anything funny, Sasuke decided to just let go and see where the path he was on led.

He was ready to see if he was meant to live for so much more than revenge.