Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Soukutsu ❯ Coming home ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto; I'm only writing this for fun and no infringement is intended.

A/N: This was written and beta-ed a while ago, but I've been extremely busy and couldn't edit until now. I originally wrote this as an one-shot, but, well, the plan went awry and now I'm thinking it'll possibly turn into a WIP. Possibly. I can't promise anything because RL is currently killing me, I have too many WIPs at the moment, and I really don't have the time to write. In any case, there's no cliffhanger or anything, so I don't think anybody will suffer. ;-)

And, yes, this is another Sasuke-returning-to-Konoha fic. I couldn't resist. -laughs-

A big thank you to Yuugi-chan for beta-ing and to all my readers who have been very patient with my very slow updates. Completed: 19 May 2007

Sasuke had looked back once when he'd left for Orochimaru. His eyes had closed as the pain of his wounds and the conflict inside of him flared, bright and burning, but still he had turned to the path in front of him and left. Step by step, he walked further and further away from Naruto and everything else that had ever mattered to him. With each step he took, he could feel the ache in his heart and the burn in his chest, but it wasn't enough for him to turn back.

It couldn't be enough for him to turn back.

When Sasuke left the Hidden Village of Sound, he didn't look back once. The chaos he left behind made no difference to him, and had never once mattered in any way other than a means to an end. Orochimaru, once he'd healed, would turn from a means to an obstacle, but Sasuke didn't particularly care. He went on ahead, eyes forward and deceptively blank, as he followed the path that would take him back to Hidden Leaf.

Fear had never come upon him like it did for others when he had first arrived in Sound. What did he have to fear? Orochimaru had needed him, and for that, he would give Sasuke more allowances than any other subordinate, except possibly for Kabuto. And that, Sasuke had decided, would be Orochimaru's downfall. Confidence was in itself a weakness, and Sasuke had learned over the past two years (plus ten months) to exploit weaknesses in the best possible way: with ruthlessness, cruelty, and deception that left the victim aware of just enough to crush them. Be it physically or mentally, the option was left up to Sasuke.

Sasuke had decided that an enraged Orochimaru, thwarted from his plans by a simple counter-attack and the power of the Sharingan (the bloodline limit he so yearned for), would sate Sasuke's perverse sense of humour for using what he had been taught (what Orochimaru had given so willingly, and what he had most wanted) against him. He was sure Orochimaru appreciated that little bit of irony as well. One thing he did learn over time was Orochimaru's sadistic humour; it was possibly the only thing Orochimaru hadn't been wary of teaching him, since jutsus could be used against him, but a little sadism made it easier to understand Sasuke's mind. This, Orochimaru had made sure he understood in case Sasuke would get it in his head to leave. Too bad it hadn't worked quite the way Orochimaru had planned it.

Sasuke's mouth twisted slightly, though he kept his eyes trained ahead, before his lips thinned again. He wondered about the village—what had changed, what hadn't; whether Naruto or Sakura looked any different; if Kakashi was still reading those books and turning up late for team missions. He paused, faltering slightly. Whether his replacement was permanent.

Sasuke shook his head and regained his footing. It didn't matter either way. Coming back to the village was a risk. Sasuke had spent many hours thinking on it, wondering what he was going to do (after he escaped, after he left Orochimaru as close to death as he possibly could, after everything that's happened), but Hidden Leaf remained stubbornly his mind. No matter how many times he tried to twist his thoughts towards another place, his mind kept wandering back to his old home, back to his team (the team he had rejected), and back to Kakashi (the one who had understood, who might still understand).

After an hour of this, he grew frustrated. If he couldn't stop thinking about it, then he should just do it—just go back, consequences be damned, and see for himself. Sasuke knew he would never stop wondering otherwise.

The journey to Hidden Leaf seemed shorter than the journey from Hidden Leaf. Sasuke was surprised at how much ground he had covered in only one hour—it had certainly felt as if he'd be running for more than an hour when he and Naruto first began their fight (and it had felt like days when they had finished, even though it had probably been less than thirty minutes). But time seemed to be passing differently now, and Sasuke thought, with some satisfaction, that his increased strength had something to do with it.

He wondered briefly how he now compared with the sentries guarding the village; he wondered how he compared with the ANBU, should—when—the Fifth sent them after him. He wondered how he compared with Naruto, who was possibly taller now (his lips quirked—but not as tall as him) and how their fight would end—should, no, when—they fought again, because they would fight again. Maybe not with the same stakes as before, but they would—especially if Sasuke had anything to say about it.

Silently, Sasuke moved through the darkly lit trees, weaving through the familiar vines and branches, avoiding the small creatures hidden just inside the trunk; the scent of pine and the filtered moonlight reminded him sharply of home, though it hadn't been his home for the last couple of years. He didn't have a home—he had told himself this many times over many months until he had finally settled into a routine of sorts with Orochimaru—but the tinge of familiarity and the gradual calm as he entered Hidden Leaf territory had shown him just how many lies he could make himself believe. With the right motivation, Sasuke could apparently believe an entire world of lies.

Sasuke paused, landing quietly on a branch about five metres away from the doors safeguarding the village, the chakra binding his feet to wood efficiently. An image of the past flicked through his mind—the hours spent climbing up a tree with a loud blonde just a few feet beside him, while Sakura watched from her perch high above—and Sasuke was reminded once again why he was coming back. He couldn't escape—not fully, anyway—and he couldn't forget. Even if he was physically miles away from the Hidden Leaf, his mind would still be occupied with denied thoughts and quickly squelched images, so he might as well be actually in the village if he was going to be that distracted. He was just pragmatic. There was nothing sentimental about this trip back, no matter how it looked from an outsider's point of view. As long as Sasuke knew, he didn't give a fuck what others thought. Except, maybe for three others, but he kept that to himself.

Looking at the doors, he felt a shiver pass through him. Two years and ten months, and now he was back again. Three, possibly four, months since the last time he had been face to face with Naruto and Sakura; the look on their faces, the new knowledge he had learned about the Kyuubi, and his threats had been playing on repeat since then, usually when he was trying to sleep, lying in bed and trying to blank his mind, but sometimes when he was training with Orochimaru too.

But he was back, and maybe for the first time since then, he could finally pause that loop.

He was almost surprised by how easy it was to enter the village undetected. Would it have been this easy back then? Would it still be this easy had he stayed and not left to train under Orochimaru? Sasuke didn't know the answer, but he didn't need it, really. He had no regrets about leaving, none at all, but sometimes he wondered. What would have happened if he'd stayed? How would things have turned out then?

He had no way of knowing, and he couldn't turn back time; it was a waste of time even just thinking about it, but now that he was actually in Hidden Leaf, it was hard not to.

Leaping silently from one rooftop to another, he took a look around the village; the buildings and apartment compounds were overlaid with shadows while the roofs shone under the moonlight. It was not hard to see—the moon was bright enough, as it usually was in the summer—that nothing had really changed. If Sasuke wanted to, he could close his eyes and pretend the last couple of years were nothing more than a dream; that he was actually here—had always been here—and if he wanted to, he could wander around in broad daylight, either waiting for Kakashi to turn up or waiting with Sakura for Naruto to finish his daily ramen intake.

But that was the dream and Orochimaru was the reality. It was foolish to even pretend it was the other way around, so he shook his head and kept moving.

Before he could move two more rooftops, his feet skidded to a silent stop; he tried to keep the flare of chakra controlled and unnoticeable, but either he failed or Naruto had improved much more than he'd expected, because the blonde figure sitting silently on a roof, knees clasped close to chest, turned sharply and looked in Sasuke's direction. Blue eyes widened and in a flash, he saw a fist coming his way.

He shifted to his right, catching the fist as it hit air, and watched as Naruto glared.

“You...bastard,” Naruto hissed, but he made no move to pull his fist away.

Sasuke was silent for a moment. Then he said, “I came back, didn't I?”

Naruto looked torn between anger and hurt. “You left!”

“I came back!” Sasuke tightened his hold and stared at Naruto, who wretched his arm back.

“If you'd stayed, you wouldn't have had to come back!” Naruto shouted.

Sasuke immediately clamped a hand over Naruto's mouth and hissed, “You idiot. Stop being so loud.”

Naruto just glared and pulled back. “I wouldn't have to be if you just stayed,” he hissed, rubbing his wrist, although Sasuke knew he hadn't gripped that hard. An old injury, perhaps, Sasuke thought, feeling strange about not knowing what had happened and how.

Watching's Naruto's pissed off and wary face, remembering the last time they had met, Sasuke said more softly, “I came back, didn't I? I came back.”

“So what if you came back? It doesn't mean you're gonna stay,” Naruto finally said, head bowed down. “I couldn't make you stay last time—how the fuck am I going to make you stay the next time you want to leave?”

Naruto turned and lifted his head, stared at Sasuke briefly before turning to his left. “You'll just make Sakura cry again.”

“Just Sakura?” Sasuke almost smiled; the memory of their previous reunion didn't seem quite so bittersweet when it was brought up to tease, when Naruto knew exactly what Sasuke was talking about and why.

“Shut up,” Naruto muttered, finally facing Sasuke again. “I have allergies,” he lied half-heartedly.

Snorting, Sasuke raised an eyebrow, an almost-smirk touching his lips. It had been a while since Sasuke had honestly been this amused; with Orochimaru, he couldn't risk allowing any real, obvious emotion to surface, but now, he was free to do what ever he wanted—even if what he wanted was just to smile.

His almost-smirk faded, and Sasuke asked, “What if I said I'll stay?”

Naruto's eyes widened and then narrowed again. “You—no, you wouldn't, you bastard. Don't say stuff you don't mean!” He looked furious, which surprised Sasuke even though it shouldn't have. Things weren't that easy and Sasuke had chosen his vengeance over his team, his village—Naruto—once before. His choices had consequences, and even though at the time he hadn't imagined ever regretting anything, he almost did now.

“I mean it,” Sasuke said quietly, cutting Naruto off in mid-fury. Naruto stopped, mouth hanging open, and then he shook his head.

Naruto stared at Sasuke, and then said shakily, “You better not be lying. You hear me? The next time you try to leave...you can't leave. Seriously, Sasuke, I'll kill you.”

Sasuke almost smiled. “You can try—not that you'll succeed—but... you won't have to.” He glanced at Naruto, a smirk playing around on his lips. “I wouldn't want to make you cry again.”

“Shut up!” Naruto glared, and then slowly grinned, all hopeful and wary and so obvious about it, Sasuke couldn't help but be relieved. “I said I had allergies, damn it.”

“What ever you say.” Sasuke smirked.

“You're going to be in trouble,” Naruto said suddenly, grin fading. “The old hag's not happy with you, you know.”

“...yeah, I know...”

“And Sakura's going to be so happy...and so mad.” The grin came back so fast, Sasuke had to blink. “Actually, let's go see her now!” he said gleefully; Sasuke narrowed his eyes warily, knowing quite well Naruto was up to something.

“Come on!”

Still suspicious, Sasuke nevertheless let Naruto grab his arm and drag him off towards Sakura's home. Sasuke was familiar with Naruto's antics, and two years (plus ten months) hadn't changed that fact. This was familiar—this was home—and Sasuke might as well let Naruto drag him back into the thick of it all since he doubted he had any other choice. The alternatives didn't have the same appeal, or maybe Sasuke just wanted to stay—but he didn't like to think about that.

He'd promised Naruto he wouldn't ever leave again, and he had meant it. He'd just rather not dwell on the knowledge that he was so tied to this place, to these people—to Naruto—that he couldn't ever leave without coming back. That faced with a choice, he would rather stay.

It scared him, thrilled him, made him think of the future when he had always thought of the past. He would rather stay than leave, he would always come back if he was ever gone—apparently, Sasuke was tied to this place and these people, and there was nothing he could do about it.

If he even wanted to.

He shook away his thoughts and concentrated on the figure just slightly in front of him, loud and annoying and gripping his arm tight enough to bruise; as if Sasuke would run away at any moment if Naruto didn't hold on. Sasuke wanted to say I'm not going again and believe me, but he couldn't. So he just let Naruto hold on.