On the day Sasuke left his village, severed all bonds and dedicated his life to revenge, it rained.

It also rained on the day he returned to Konoha, beaten, tired, and longing for his home.

But where was that? He had always considered home to be with his family, but they were all dead now - which, in a way, meant he was homeless.

Naruto insisted home was with him and Team 7, where the people who cared for him were. If those three still cared for him, even after all he had done, then they were idiots. In Sasuke's opinion, anyway – idiots and masochists.

He trudged onward, stumbling through thick mud and over large tree roots. He remembered hearing someone say, "Home is where the heart is." Did that mean it was where his loved ones, the people he cared about, lived?

After years for numbing himself with hatred for Itachi and Orochimaru, it was hard to know who he loved anymore. He had severed all of his bonds, right? Meaning he cared for no one, for nothing but revenge and himself.

So he was home wherever he went, at any moment, because he was always with himself.

"Pathetic," he mumbled to the distant rumble of thunder. At the same time, his mind whispered, "Lonely."

Footsteps splashed through puddles, snapping twigs and crunching leaves. Sasuke tensed. Someone was coming.

Cautiously, he continued forward, until he was eventually able to make out the silhouette of an approaching figure. Soon, the person, who was obviously female, was close enough to recognize.

Sakura stopped the instant she saw Sasuke. Her green eyes were wide, her pink hair plastered to pale skin with a mix of rain and sweat.

"Sasuke-kun..."

Seeing her there, within arm's reach, suddenly made Sasuke realize just how tired he was. His body was sore and begged for rest; his mind could barely handle basic thought process; sleep had evaded him for days, and food seemed to have no effect on him. He took a step forward, only to have his legs collapse. Sakura caught him instinctively, her warm arms preventing him from crashing onto the muddy ground. As he blacked out, one word fluttered to his mind.

"Home..."

Author's Notes: I'm not too impressed with how this one turned out, either. xP I mean, I guess it's okay, but I really think I could've done better. But laziness and lack of motivation prevents me from doing so. xD

Disclaimer: I do not own 'Naruto' or any of its characters.