CHAPTER ONE: WELCOME HOME

The first time he came home was on a Friday evening. It was a Friday that stood between the end of the comfortable autumn and the frigid winter. It was an evening that was especially cold in contrast to the night before, where everyone had secluded themselves in their respective homes much earlier than usual in order to sit close to an open fire. The absence of people left the streets with a loneliness that brought unwelcome memories. The one figure willed them away as he did to the chill in the air. He blew into his hands but to no avail, his body shook painfully as he sought out a protective shelter. And that's when he saw her.

She too was walking alone but for a purpose. A supermarket shopping bag was hanging from her hand as she struggled to keep it in her hold. It was filled to its capacity, and he could see it was heavy from their distance. She was bundled up to a point where he could feel how much warmer she was than him. She wore a coat that was drawn closely to her body, worn over what he presumed to be thick leggings and protecting her shins were winter boots. A thick, knit scarf was used to protect her otherwise exposed neck. He had stopped in his tracks, more to contemplate whether he should disappear as quickly as he could rather than to simply look at her. But look at her he did and, when she had finally gotten to a distance to where her off-guarded nature could not hide his presence, she looked to him too.

There was no response at first, she just looked at him. Her eyes seemed to be staring into his face, unintentionally burning holes, until she walked to close the distance. He instinctively took a step away, but she only slowed her approach. Why he slightly retreated, he did not know, but he willed himself to allow her to come close. He hadn't returned in four years, that did not give him a reason to run away from her. And just how many thoughts were running through his mind, a look into her emerald eyes made it evident that many were passing through hers. Small, shimmering tears gathered at the corner of her eyes as she placed her bags on the ground and using a hand to lightly touch his face. Her fingertips were warm and he released a breath at the feel of them.

"Sasuke," she whispered ever so slightly, as if speaking louder would reveal that this was all an illusion on her part. But he was here. She felt him and he felt her. There wasn't much to say after that. Her fingertips had felt how cold he was, and the dark bags under his eyes told her how tired he was. She allowed her palm to fall onto his pale cheek in order to share his warmth before she ultimately retreated. She thought she saw him lean forward a bit, trying to prevent a distance between them, but that may have been her imaginative think. No, she was sure it was, but she nonetheless looked his into his deep black eyes and she observed, "You need a place to stay."

He said nothing and she took that as a silent confirmation. She bent at the knees to grab her bags and brushed past him. Despite the way the cold bit at his nose, he breathed in her scent. She smelled the same as she did all those years ago, and it brought on the warmth of nostalgia. But it was only momentary as her footsteps indicated that she was walking away, leaving him in the silence of the empty village street. However, the footsteps stopped and he curiously turned to see her head slightly turned to reveal the side of her face as she regarded him. "I won't force you."

He knew exactly what she had meant therefore, when she turned to walk away once more leaving it to him to decide, he called out, "Sakura." She stopped almost obediently and he walked in long strides to catch him to her. When he did, she looked up to his in question as his cold his brushed hers as he took hold of her bags. She smiled up at him briefly as he held them securely in his hands before she continued to walk, except this time slightly more carefree. He followed her silently stopping only momentarily to look back in the direction he was going. He eyed the one window that was lit, the window that looked into Naruto's house. Squinting, he catches the movement of a shadow that was, without a doubt, regarding him as well.

They reached Sakura's home shortly after their meeting. It was a small apartment that was more than enough for one person to reside in. She welcomed him in and offered him a seat on her couch in the living room just to the right of the walk in area. As Sasuke observed her home, she took the groceries into the kitchen. Sasuke noted how the walls were a light tan color and the couch was an autumn red, adding to the warmth of her home. Sasuke could tell she took time to decorate her home as there were lamps with shades that matched the theme of the room and beautiful pictures lined the wall. The curtains on the one window in the living area were drawn and were decorated by warm flourishes. He sat comfortably, yet awkwardly, as she moved to the opposite wall and bent down in order to light her fireplace. As soon as a fire was lit, Sasuke could feel the new winter air melt away from his body.

He observed how Sakura had remained quiet, something that was very different in comparison to their younger days. She performed every action with maturity, including the way she peeled off her layers and hung them on the hooks positioned on the wall. She sighed and turned to him with a smile. His eye slightly twitched at the sight of it. "I hope Green Tea sounds delicious to you because it does to me." Sasuke's eyes did not follow her as she entered her kitchen through an arched door. She clinked her way through her cupboards, turned on the stove, and returned as quickly as she left. Sasuke did not fail to notice that the same smile was still adorning her delicate face.

"I can honestly say I wasn't expecting you to come back so soon," she tried to joke, sitting in the armchair to the left of the couch. It was also the furthest from him as he sat on the right side of the couch. "Just imagine what Naruto-"

"Stop." Her mouth sealed itself shut at Sasuke's command. At first she attempted to express surprise, as if she hadn't a clue what he was talking about. But the fact that her smile faded quickly showed him that she did. Not only was she his former roommate, but she also was madly in love with him years ago. He knew her smile was fake. It was an attempt to hide all the other emotions that he could easily see. It was an attempt to get her through the night before he left the next day, or so she thought he would. She was unaware that even Sasuke didn't know his plans for the next day. Either way, the way she tried to lie to him was beginning to upset him.

At first she tried to go about things rationally, such as breathing deeply to collect her thoughts, but when that didn't work, she resorted to pacing the room. Sasuke's eyes followed her lazily, allowing her thoughts to spill from her lips. "I don't know what you want from me Sasuke," she said clearly at first, but it ended in a whimper. "I mean, I'm not upset with you leaving its just that you didn't keep in contact and you come back arrogant enough to tell me not to pretend like I'm happy?!" He listened to her holistically: emotionally and verbally. "To be honest, I'm not happy that you're back. I'm tired of realizing that all I thought I let go of is still here only to be pushed away again when you leave. You're not the kind of person who stays." She shrugged sadly as if to ask what do you want me to do? However she did respectfully add, "I was trying to make you feel like you were home."

The tea kettle began to whistle and she rushed to the kitchen to shut off the stove. She was no longer in the mood for tea and decided to leave the tea kettle where it was, returning back to the living area where Sasuke still sat. He was silent in listening to her and now he was silent in processing her words. They were not the words of someone who loved another unconditionally, they were the words of someone who was tired of suffering. He knew this would be the case long before he even returned to Konoha, which was why he had easily gone with her instead of continuing on his way. The latter one would be less emotional and Sasuke preferred to deal with a lot less emotion. And before he could stop himself, a heavy question slipped from his mouth, "Is this your way of giving up on me?"

Sakura brought a hand up to cover her eyes as a way of keeping her tears from him. "That's selfish," she whimpered. "You have no right to ask me that."

Standing, Sasuke cautiously approached her. He had no intention of making a joke of the situation, but everyone knew her strength just as everyone knew how she was prone to using it when she was upset. "I do," he disagreed with her, "I came here with you for a reason."

He continued to advance on her, decreasing the amount of distance between them. She reached out and let her hand remain open in the air. "Stop," she begged, "Please." He took another step and her hand was flat against his chest. He welcomed her touch, so much that he enveloped her hand in his own. His calloused hand moulded with her smooth textured one. She attempted to pull away but he held fast to her. He even took his other hand and placed it on the back of her neck in order to gently pull her into a warm embrace. She sobbed into his chest, shaking hard enough to rock the both of them as they stood together. He lowered his nose into her silk, cherry blossom hair and whispered the two words she'd been dying to hear.

"I'm home."