This wasn't the picture that I had in mind, but it will have to do. Enjoy!

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Third Person P.O.V

A 16 year old girl strolled through the market, her mossy green eyes flickering across the variety of fruits and vegetables. It was a slightly windy day, so her white dress with its blue collar and sash swayed this way and that. Her fair skinned hands would sometimes adjust her straw sunhat so she could see. A grass-woven basket hung from her arm and was halfway filled with groceries.

As the girl picked up a tomato to inspect, she noticed a head of sunshine blonde hair. It was familiar to her, so she decided to step closer. Memories fluttered by her mind's eye, and a particular one caught her interest. It was a picture of a team. There was a silver haired man, a pink haired girl, a sunshine blonde boy...

And a raven haired boy.

A smile soon adorned her pink lips as the girl now was within arm's reach. Balancing on the tiptoe of her platform sandals - the boy grew much taller than when she last seen him - she tapped his shoulder. With a confused grunt, the boy turned around and met eye to eye with the girl. His eyes were as blue as the sky. The girl spoke with certainty and nostalgia. "Naruto! Is it really you?"

The boy didn't completely recognize the girl at first. With a grin, the girl took off her sun hat, revealing her black and blue hair tied up in a high ponytail that went down to her neck. It was much longer than before, and would stop a bit past her armpits if she decided to let it go. Noticing the unique hair color, Naruto grinned. "Lyra!"

"The one and only," Lyra confirmed with a laugh. She put back on her hat. "Man, you've finally gotten taller!"

Naruto laughed with her. "Yep, and I've gotten stronger too! Much stronger, dattebayo!"

"Ah, but you still say that same dorky catchphrase!"

"Whatever, hah hah!"

The two teens discussed for a little longer before beginning to part ways. As Lyra was leaving, Naruto called her. She turned around and noticed a determined expression on the usually goofy blonde's face. "I haven't forgotten my promise, by the way," He said, "I'm still bringing Sasuke back!"

Without a response Naruto walked away. He didn't see Lyra's smile disappear at the mention of the raven haired Uchiha. He neither saw the somber look in her eyes, or that she subconsciously clutched the yang pendant that hung around her neck. With a sigh, Lyra went and paid for the groceries then started walking home. She passed by the village gates and paused in front of them.

At first she hesitated. A memory of her and a young Uchiha sharing a gentle kiss in the moonlight flashed across her mind. Tears began to prick at the edges of her eyes, but she paid them no mind. She then slowly stepped her way to the gates. At the very edge, she stopped, an invisible line not letting her go any further.

Lyra leaned against one of the pillars that supported the gates. Naruto's words echoed in her head: 'I'm still bringing Sasuke back!'

An involuntary shiver passed throughout her body. She pulled her jacket closer to rid herself of the sudden cold. Closing her eyes, she whispered, "You don't understand... He doesn't want to come back..."

Lyra knew the ambitions of the Uchiha survivor: revenge. He wanted to make his older brother pay for his crimes. In order to do that, he needed power - and that is what Orochimaru had. Lyra was neither angry nor sad. She understood Sasuke's reasonings for defecting from Konoha.

But at the same time, she also knew that the young Uchiha was travelling down a dark and lonely path. To achieve the power he wants, Sasuke would have to sever all of his ties. He would have to push all he considered important to him away. That's fine and dandy, if there were people who were still trying to pull him back, like Naruto and Sakura. Lyra too of course.

But what if they stop pulling? People can only be pushed so much, before they give up on a person. They could give up on him, and when he finally enacts his revenge, then what? He would still be on that dark and lonely road. There would be no one to guide him home.

'Will I eventually give up too?' Lyra wondered, then shook her head. 'I can't. I have to be here, expecting him. So he can still have a place to call home.'

The girl then gazed into the horizon. The sun was setting, and the remaining light transformed the sky into a canvas of pink, purple and orange. Lyra sighed before turning to walk away. However, a strong gust of wind passed her, knocking off her sun hat in the process. The hat tumbled past the gate and into the forest.

"Crap," Lyra mumbled before jogging after the runaway hat. She doved into the forest, nimbly avoiding low-hanging branches and uncovered roots. After a few minutes, she finally found her head garment, its ribbon snagged to a tree root. "Finally found you," She said with a smile.

Grabbing her hat and placing it back on her head, she turned around to head back home - only to realize that she had no idea where she was. Lyra looked at her surroundings, trying to find at least one memorable landmark, but to no avail. Once again, she sighed. "You have got to be kidding me..."

"I think it's real serious, pretty lady," A male voice sneered, followed by several chuckles. Lyra swiveled around, eyes squinted in caution. "Who's there? Show yourselves!"

More laughs, all belonging to different males. At least four, Lyra deduced. Bandits? Rogue shinobi?

'Bandits,' Lyra thought as four grown men waltzed from behind the trees. 'Not the conversational type either. Maybe my taijutsu skills, however meager, should be enough.'

"What's a pretty little thing like you during out in this here forest when it's so dark out? There could be big, bad wolves you know." One of the men said, while the others just stared at me hungrily. Putting up a scowl and a brave front, Lyra retorted, "Oh really? All I see right now are a couple of pigs."

One of the men growled angrily at the insult. "You little wench! We'll teach you to insult us!"

"Yeah!" The other men agreed before pouncing on her. Lyra was prepared though. She swung her basket full of food, which so happened to come in contact with one of the men. He toppled to the ground, grunting in surprise. Another man grabbed her arm, so she responded by elbowing him in the gut. "Oof!"

Lyra then hooked her arms under the man's torso and waist, and used the strength in her legs to lift the adult into the air. With a yell, she threw him into the third man, resulting in them both crashing onto the ground. They went unconscious. 'Two down! I can do this!'

"Wah!" Lyra suddenly yelped as she felt two meaty hands grab both of her arms and pulled them behind her. She let out a short scream of pain before noticing the man she hit the basket with heading towards her. She gritted her teeth and furrowed her brows before an idea crossed her mind.

Letting the first man come within arm's reach, she took advantage of the second man's grab on her and lifted her body up. Since the other man was within reach, Lyra used him as a stepping stone and leaped over the man that had his hold on her. Once her feet touched the ground, she summed up her upper body strength to throw the man behind her. The man yelled as he flew through the air before hitting headfirst into a nearby tree, his neck snapping from the impact. He crumpled to the ground, unmoving.

Lyra froze for a moment. She never killed a person, accident or otherwise, until just now. That guy, however grotesque, could've had a mother and father, wife, children. He won't be able to see or touch them again, and vice versa. She didn't even know his name.

"You bitch!" The last man howled angrily. His eyes were bloodshot and had a feral look to them. "Do you know what you've done?! You just murdered Hitsuto!"

'I know his name now,' Lyra mused before saying, "This wouldn't have happened if you idiots had just left me alone. You brought this on yourselves."

The gleam of a pocket knife caught her attention. It was dull but still sharp enough to cut through skin and tissue. The man's lips pulled back into a vicious grin. "We were just gonna have a little fun with that tight looking body of yours. If you had simply been compliant, maybe we would've let you go afterwards. But now... Now you're gonna die, you little whore."

Lyra smirked as she replied, "Let's see you try."

The man let out a growl before charging with surprising speed. Lyra's eyes widened and she took a few steps back. As she did so, she tripped over a root and fell to the ground. Her hands went to her now twisted ankle and her eyes grew wide as the man ran ever closer. In a moment of fear, Lyra screamed, "Someone, help me!" and tightly closed her eyes. She didn't want to feel any pain.

But her pain never came.

Did she... Did she die already? That would be pretty quick and painless. Not to mention strange.

Now curious, Lyra discreetly opened one eye to see what was going on. What she saw made her open both eyes and gasp in shock.

A teenage boy, about the same age as her, stood tall in front of her, holding the man by his neck. It was dark now, so she was unable to see any physical features, but she assumed from the figure's build and height. The man choked and stared at the boy with wide, fearful eyes. "Wh-What the--?! Y-You're--!"

His pupils suddenly dilated and he let a long scream of agony. After a few moments, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he went limp. Now done with his prey, the boy dropped the man and calmly unsheathed his katana. "Die, vermin."

'That voice...' Lyra thought, 'I know that voice!'

The boy, his back still facing her, raised his sharp blade high into the air before swiftly sending it down. Without thinking, Lyra shot off the ground and grabbed the boy's forearm. "No, don't!"

The blade halted. There was a moment of stiff silence. Lyra's eyes tried to adjust to the lack of light. The boy turned his head and two blood red orbs stared into her soul. Lyra visibly shuddered under the intense gaze, already knowing who those particular eyes belong to. "It's not worth it. He's not worth it. I'm ok, see?"

Those haunting eyes never strayed from her face. Lyra held her breath under his silent scrutiny. It's been two and a half years since she last saw her beloved. She secretly hoped that he was the same boy, the boy who just needed someone to cherish and love. But deep inside, she knew, just from what she witnessed, that this wasn't the same boy.

This boy would not hesitate to shed blood.

After a moment, Lyra realized that she held the Uchiha's arm in a vice grip. She blushed lightly at the close proximity and contact before releasing and taking a step back. Adjusting her hat and smoothing her kimono, she whispered, "Thank you for saving me. I guess I'll be out of your way now. It was nice seeing you again... Sasuke-kun."

The red circles disappeared for a second, then reappeared. Lyra sighed before turning and beginning to walk away. Before she could take two steps, a hand grasped her arm. She swiveled back around, confused. Why did he stop her from leaving? It didn't seem like he wanted her to stay.

"Lyra..." The young Uchiha breathed out. Lyra resisted yet another shudder at the utterance of her name. There was so much raw emotion hidden in that one word, she could only recognize a few. Curiosity, slight relief, and possibly a hint of adoration.

"Yes, it's me. It's Lyra," Lyra repeated. She flashed a small smirk. "What, did you forget me already?"

A low, amused hum echoed through the air. "Never. I thought I told you so already. Never, as long as I have a piece of you with me."

A glimpse of white entered Lyra's line of vision. Her eyes widened and began to well up. "Y-You... You k-kept it...?"

"Of course," Sasuke replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "It was a gift you gave me, wasn't it?"

The black and blue haired girl nodded, temporarily at a loss for words. Sasuke's eyes softened as he watched a stray tear slide down the green eyed girl's cheek. He raised his hand and gently placed it on her cheek. Upon the contact, Lyra closed her eyes and leaned into the touch. Her bottom lip trembled as more tears began to trail down. "I missed you so much."

"And I've missed you," Sasuke responded, using his thumb to wipe away the trail of tears. His hand moved from her cheek to her chin. Unconsciously, Lyra's lips parted and she leaned closer. Sasuke leaned as well, and their lips met in the middle.

In the beginning, it was a gentle and shy kiss. You would think passion would explode between them off the bat. After all, it hasbeen two and a half years since they last saw each other. Then again, both parties are originally reserved souls. Hesitation is normal.

However, their passion was exponentially building with every second. Lyra clutched onto Sasuke's shirt. Sasuke's arms wrapped her waist. Their mouths moved together, synchronized, in absolutely perfect harmony. They both cherished every sound, every touch, every taste. He tasted like mint and strawberries. She tasted like peaches and cream.

Eventually, they had to part, unless they wanted to drop dead due to lack of oxygen. They pressed foreheads together, closing their eyes as they savored this moment, this warmth. Lyra opened hers first; his was still closed. She gazed at him in awe, making sure to memorize every feature. His pale skin, sharp chin, pronounced cheekbones, soft lips... All of it. Who knows when she may see it again.

A squeak of surprise escaped her lips as she abruptly jolted forward and her face was pressed into the raven haired teen's shoulder. She felt his warm breath tickling the crook of her neck, and a fever of red exploded on her cheeks. He dug his nose into her hair and breathed in her scent. Chocolate and blueberries. He mumbled something, but she didn't hear. She furrowed her brows in confusion. "Hm?"

Removing himself from her hair, Sasuke stared deep into Lyra's curious mossy green eyes and repeated, "Come with me."

"Wh-Wh--?" Lyra stuttered as she blinked rapidly. "What? Pardon?"

"Come with me," He reiterated, completely serious. 'He's gone crazy, I just know it,' Lyra thought. "I... I can't stand another day being without you. It's been sheer luck that I haven't gone insane already. I want - no, I need - you with me. Please, Lyra."

Lyra's eyes basically turned into dinner plates. She was baffled, shocked, flabbergasted at the words tumbling out of his mouth. Was this really Sasuke Uchiha? Avenger of his clan? Stoic brat she met in the middle of a snowy forest? Doesn't communicate much except with grunts and smirks and glares?

She gazed down at the forest floor in thought. Ever since Sasuke left, Lyra ceased talking with Naruto and Sakura, or anyone else for that matter. Sometimes a brief encounter would occur, like the one eariler today, but other than that, nothing. A year after, her grandmother passed away, leaving her alone in the world. It was a treacherous ordeal, having to single handedly bury your last remaining family, but she took the pain in stride.

There was nothing else in Konoha for her.

"Yes," Lyra answered, looking back up at the young Uchiha. "Yes, I'll go with you."

Sasuke's usually dark eyes glinted, and a small ghost of a smile tugged at his lips. He took a step back and held out his hand. Lyra's lips pulled back into a small smile and she placed her hand in his. Her smile grew into a grin as she was suddenly tossed into the air. She landed in a pair of strong arms, and she blushed heavily before attempting to hide it in his neck. "You don't have to carry me, you know."

"Yeah," Sasuke said with a smirk, "I know."

Sasuke turned and began to walk, Lyra in his arms like a newly wedded bride. As they walked away, the girl glanced back, knowing that somewhere Konoha rests. For a second, she felt guilty. However, that guilt was quickly replaced with satisfaction. She was back in the arms of the love of her life, venturing off to who knows where together.

She couldn't be happier.