A/N: Set roughly 3 years since the Shippuden time skip. All the former Rookie 9 is 19, save for Team Gai who are 20. It's been roughly a year since Naruto defeated Sasuke and has brought him back to Konoha.

Disclaimer: I have no rights over Naruto, I just write in the fandom.

Drabble: Comfort

The inky black waters reflected the sky at its worst. Dark clouds of rain hovered restlessly as the rumbles of thunder began their dance.

You could almost taste the rain.

The wind picked up and blew harshly against the water, the black stillness now a mess of waves. I calmly, stubbornly stayed seated at the base of the tree facing the lake. Light rain started to fall, but I wasn't deterred by their hidden warning of the storm due to come. I was stuck in a vortex, comfortably numb. It struck me later, how comfort enveloped me even as I was exposed to the beginnings of a storm.

Suddenly, a few minutes, could have been hours later, I was hit by how cold it really was, how hard the rain was hitting me. Normally, I would be worried about my weapons getting wet, but I knew that they were safe from rust inside my many summoning scrolls.

I knew that I had been gone from the village for a few days, not on a mission, as I had previously explained to Tsunade-sama. Just… a little rest and recoup.

I was surprised when she agreed for me to be "on leave" for a few days. She told me that missions that required ANBU like me were on a low run; she didn't think that me being gone would do any harm of epic proportions.

I was so grateful towards my idol at that moment. I was really tired these days; my pent up frustrations with some of the nins my age, mostly in my team, were bubbling to the surface.

I was afraid I would snap.

I nearly did, at the wrong time, place and person who least deserved it. I shook my head, wet bangs plastered to my forehead. Pushing them back, I forced myself not to think about how I hurt one of my dearest friends. About what has caused this.

"We're due back tomorrow."

His quiet voice reminded me of velvet. Silky, smooth, calming. As a new member of the Special Black Ops of the ANBU, I was stuck with the special guard duty of our current prisoner at arms, Uchiha Sasuke, for nearly a year now. The sole survivor of the Uchiha massacre had come back to Konoha after Naruto had defeated him and was now awaiting his trial.

Which brought me back to the fact that Tsunade not only decided that I would be the best person to take the job of guarding the Uchiha and at the last minute wanted me to bring him along on my so called "vacation".

As long as it was in close proximity to Konoha, there were check-ups every hour on the hour. I sighed and opened my eyes only to see a faint glimpse of the Uchiha's God-like features before I was covered with something dark.

Uchiha Sasuke was handsome, to the point of distraction. It wasn't any wonder why all those girls had chased after him, Sakura and Ino included. But as he grew older, his beauty reached past an ethereal peak. It seemed that it was made for him, molded into his very being, mixed in his blood. Thus, his God-like features.

"What?!" Surprised confusion streaked across my face as I hurriedly yanked off the cloth, fearing the worst; that the Uchiha might attempt an escape.

I looked at him questioningly while clutching the soft towel between hand and chest, where fear bubbled uncontrollably. I swallowed, pushing it down along with the knot in my throat as I took in the Uchiha's stoic form, just inches away from me.

Cold obsidian eyes looked back at me. The emotion in them, if there was any, was unreadable. His pale lips parted and he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"You were wet. You looked cold." He was to the point, matter of fact. He shrugged as he sat down not quite beside me, stretching his arms behind his head in an attempt to relax. The frigid wind made it hard, but at least the rain lightly let up.

"I… Thank you, Uchiha-san." I managed to say as the icy wind howled into our ears. I shivered and wrapped the towel around me, comforted by the given warmth and the slight scent of detergent.

Casually tilting my head, I let down my hair to dry as I studied the Uchiha's features once more, as I had done so many times, more than I could count. Somewhere in my head, thoughts and whispers exploded in a bomb of familiarity.

Smooth, ashen skin. It made him so beautiful, but somehow vulnerable. Strange words to be associated with our prodigal nin, I mused.

It reminded me of…

I frowned, realizing just who it reminded me of.

Both alike, but so different.

Raven eyes, not a shade of silver-white.

Short ink-black hair, not long strands of mahogany brown.

Each with the same story, the same tragedy, only told from opposite sides.

Sasuke's life mirrored Neji's in so many ways that it was almost expected for them to be bitter rivals. And not just because of their clan names.

I sat up straighter, averting my gaze away from the Uchiha's features. Suddenly, I just wanted to forget, or at least ignore the fact that he was Neji's parallel in more than one way.

"I think… we should head back." I said abruptly, opting to pull back my long, brown hair into a loose chignon at the base of my neck instead of the usual twin buns at either side of my head. He looked questioningly at me for a moment before slouching back into the usual indifference.

"Alright."

No sooner than he agreed the ANBU guard arrived on the hour. I informed him of our plan to go back to Konoha a day early. Nodding, the guard asked that we wait for a few minutes as he called the Special Black Ops ANBU escort guards before heading back to the village. I nodded and watched the guard disappear silently, leaving a small cloud of smoke as the only evidence that he ever was there.

"Can I… ask you something… Tenten?"

Sasuke's voice, for a moment, lost its nonchalance. I was tempted to tell him that he already had asked me something, but as I faced him, something held me back. Maybe it was the realization that this was the first time he addressed me without honorifics.

"Anything, Uchiha-san."

Briefly, he studied me with severe scrutiny before resuming. "Why did you want a few days away from Konoha?"

It took me exactly three minutes to properly give him an answer. It took me two seconds to hesitate about telling him the truth. The bitter taste of guilt in my mouth was more than enough of an answer. It reminded me that I didn't have anything to lose.

The wind quieted down and I spoke in hushed whispers, but he heard me clearly. Every word that left my lips, coated in pain and bitterness with just a touch of my previous guilt, stabbed at me painfully; a pain that seemed unreal as it seemed physical.

The sun appeared as a blazing ball of golden orange, streaking the sky red with hinds of grey left in its path. I spoke of how I was frustrated with the fact that everyone expected so little of me and how it all just exploded when I learned that I was deliberately left out of an A-Rank mission with my team, never mind the fact that I was a well seasoned ANBU, the reason being I wasn't experienced enough.

Sasuke listened to me, an unreadable expression in his eyes as his gaze never wavered from my own. When I talked about how I took it all out on Hinata in a training session, moisture developed in my eyes as tears threatened fall.

"She's in the hospital and can't do anything at all, at least for six months."

I explained that even though my best friend forgave me and truly understood my actions that day, that didn't stop me from feeling more undeserving and worthless of my title as a kunoichi.

As I finished, I angrily dug the heel of my hand into my cheek, wiping any trace of tears away. Sasuke remained silent, but I could feel his gaze on me as tension filled the air, much like the heavy fog that came with the end of a sunset.

He came up behind me as I packed all our necessities. His words, his voice had that calming effect on me as he spoke them with controlled force.

"You… aren't weak nor are you inexperienced. You aren't and never will be undeserving of your title. You are worth more than you can imagine, Tenten. You're worth something to everyone, especially to that stubborn bastard Hyuuga. Even if he doesn't deserve you."

I was frozen, surprised at the words that came out of his mouth. It was simply not his nature for him to do that, to willingly hand out comfort. To actually give a damn.

"And…"

He stopped something akin to uncertainty in his stance. That was another first. The Uchiha Sasuke I knew was always sure of himself, totally arrogant when you though about it.

"You matter to me."

The last part was said in a low whisper, much like the faint rustle of leaves that came past as the ANBU escort team arrived. I quickly looked to the Uchiha, seeing nothing but unreadable emotion in his face. But strangely, it was enough.

When we reached the village gates, I brought him alone with me to official report in to the Hokage. She was surprised to see us back a day early but after carefully glancing at our faces, said nothing of it. Later, I wondered what exactly had she seen. I finished the paperwork before bidding her goodbye; it was about time that me and Sasuke went to the place that for almost a year now I had called home.

The sky was dark with the beginnings of night quickly approaching. The majority of people were already in their homes, probably enjoying their supper. We went down the familiar route towards the Uchiha Manor, all the while a comfortable silence encompassing us both.

"Sasuke."

He paused, surprised. So was I. It was the first time I ever called him by his first name.

"I… What I mean to say is… Thank you."

His paused affirmed what I had hoped. His steps echoed in my ears as he walked beside me instead of walked ahead as usual. Just as I began to unlock the front gate, I felt his eyes on me. Those same cold eyes met mine as I held his gaze. When I first started as his guard, it had become a habit for me to search his face for something, anything, but it remained the same.

Not this time.

Although his face displayed a mask of nonchalance for the world to see, there was something in those eyes that I just couldn't put my finger on. Whatever it was, it was different and filled me with warmth. It was something that freed me from the self-inflicted chains of anger and guilt.

A smile graced my lips as the locked clicked open. That same smile remained as we went through the usual motions of dinner before retiring to bed. Just before I went to bed in the room next to his, the only thing separating us a thing sliding door made of wood and paper, I slid open the door and softly called his name.

Like so many times before, his gaze met mine. They no longer struck me as cold because something softened their hard edge and I felt that same warmth fill me once more.

"Goodnight, Sasuke."

Before I turned away, his voice, smooth like velvet and soft like rustling leaves in the breeze, reached my ears.

"Goodnight, Tenten."

There was no more tension, no more hesitation. I closed the door and lay down to go to sleep, acutely aware of his breathing in the otherwise silent night. As the dark shadows danced across the walls, I let out a deep breath as I convinced myself repeatedly that the small curve of his lips into the slightest smile was not a fragment of my imagination.

End.

I hope that you enjoyed the story. All reviews and criticisms are welcome, there's always room for improvement. Thanks xD