Author: Okay so I changed my mind. I'm funny like that. I'm also craving a taco right now. Anywho. I'm picking this story up again, YAY. But the chapters might be shorter than usual, i'm so ridiculously out of practice it's not even funny.
"Sakura..." Sasuke stood leaning against a tree, watching the kunoichi spring through Konoha, presumably looking for Naruto. His eyes were blank, and his arms folded across his chest. One hand slid down to the handle of his katana as the pink haired girl drew nearer. But he didn't want to attack her. Or maybe he did. He wasn't really sure. The girl had certainly become a pain, in the later days. Right up until the moment he left Konoha. Then he had realized how much she really did love him. It really had been annoying. But it was also...nice. Nice to know that if he died, there would be someone who cared.
"Sasuke-kun!" The Uchiha let an exasperated sigh escape his lips. Stupid Karin. What had he been thinking...? Sure, this new team of his, this team Snake, reminded him of Konoha in a twisted way. But Karin was worse than Ino and Sakura combined. He turned to look at the girl as she trotted up to him, flinging her arms around his waist. Scowling, he peeled her away. "Why do you constantly fight it, Sasuke-kun?" Karin sang, swaying a little without relinquishing her grip.
"Because I don't like you. I need you for your talents, nothing more." The moment he spoke, Sasuke regretted the words.
"THANK YOU!" Karin beamed, squeezing Sasuke even tighter at what she had seen as a compliment. Sakura was out of sight now, and Sasuke had no more need to just stand there watching Konoha anymore.
"Don't touch me." Sasuke growled, shoving Karin away from him. "If I wanted to have sex with you I would have done it by now."
"But Sasuke!" God. The girl was persistant. Even as Sasuke walked back towards the camp, she darted around him, clinging to his chest. Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You said you wanted to rebuild your clan, didn't you? You'll need a woman for that."
Sasuke shrugged slightly. "I've given up on that. Presuming the final battle with Itachi leaves me alive, i'll still be the only Uchiha alive. There's been too much damage done to rebuild the clan now." Which wasn't exactly true. But he didn't want to give the girl any more hope than she needed.
Karin started to whine, and, thoroughly frustrated, Sasuke shoved her back hard, stalking away. He would admit that he had changed since leaving Konoha, both in personality and otherwise. But he knew he was strong-probably strong enough to defeat Itachi. All he needed now was to find him.
"Naruto!" Sakura skidded to a halt, seeing a flicker of blond hair inside, where else, Ichiraku. She moved forward, grasping his shoulder. "Sasuke-kun! He's...He's...I saw him last night!"
Naruto's eyes widened, and he abandoned his ramen to turn and meet the girl's gaze. "You did? Where is he?!"
"I don't know, he left before I could stop him-!" Naruto had already sprang off his chair and started to run down the street, but Sakura caught his arm.
"No! I think he came back...I think he's after you! He's going to try to use you as bait to get Itachi to come out into the open!" Naruto was about to make a snappy retort, but saw the fire in Sakura's eyes and sighed a little. She was worried about him, then? It didn't matter.
"I promised i'd bring him back, Sakura! And I never go back on my word, you know that!" The blond shrugged away Sakura's arm, stomping away from her towards the forest.
"Naruto, please, don't!" Sakura shouted, the hint of desperation in her voice enough to make the Uzumaki hesitate. He looked back at the kunoichi over his shoulder. "He's not the same as he was, Naruto! He nearly killed me! If Sai hadn't been there, he probably would have!" Her fingers curled into fists, eyes squeezed shut as she spoke. Naruto looked away from her, his expression unreadable. "Please, Naruto. Don't go after him this time."
Naruto's shoulders sagged and his head dropped, gaze moving to the ground. "All right...But if he comes after me, Sakura-!"
"I know." Sakura opened her eyes again, emerald orbs boring into the back of Naruto's head.
"You're not focusing, Sakura!" Sai said sternly, watching her drop the fan for the umpteenth time that day.
"I am too focusing-!" But as Sakura bent to pick up the fan, she knew Sai was right. She could only think about Sasuke. Sighing, she lay the fans down on the table in her living room. "I think i'll just...do some practicing on my own."
Sai frowned a little. "I didn't mean to..."
Sakura shook her head to dismiss any apologies. "It's okay. I just kind of want to be alone right now."
Sai hesitated for a few seconds, watching the kunoichi with something like worry on his face. "All right..." He said finally, before turning away and leaving, closing the door quietly behind him.
Sakura sighed, flopping down onto her couch and staring up at the ceiling. Right now, beyond the walls of Konoha, Sasuke was there.