"Hinata! Hinata-Chan!!" 

The young Hyuga looked up from her studies, smiling at the girl she thought of as another sister. Hinata asked, "Naomi? What is it?" 

"Tenten and Sasuke are back!" She exclaimed, practically jumping up and down. "I smell them; they're close by! Let's go meet them!" 

Hinata smiled and got up. "Alright, but we can't stay out long. You have training with Hanabi." She nodded and grabbed Hinata's wrist, pulling her along and giggling in the process. The two passed Ko, who exclaimed, "Whoa, whoa! Where are you two going?!" 

"Tenten is close by!" Naomi replied, not at all stopping like Ko asked. Hinata gave him an apologetic glance before keeping up with Naomi's pulls. As they made it close to the gate, they came across Lee, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Ino at the ramen shop. 

Ino stretched and sighed. "Man, I'm full. Another bowl and I'll start to lose my figure." Kiba snorted and opened his mouth to refute, only to pause when Naomi and Hinata were in his sights. 

Akamaru barked, rushing towards them and jumping on Naomi. 

She laughed and pet him, much to Kiba's dismay. Ino smiled and asked, "What's got you two all sweaty in this weather?" 

"It's Tenten," Naomi replied with a smile, "And Sasuke. I caught their scent, and I think they're just now coming back." Shikamaru grunted and said, "Well, I guess we'd better greet them." Ino giggled and slapped her hands together. "I'm sure Sasuke-Kun and Tenten did very well!" 

"Yush!!" Lee exclaimed, paying for his meal before grabbing Naomi's hand. "Let's go meet them before they even pass the gates!" 

Ino giggled and followed; Akamaru barking and sprinting after them. Kiba sweatdropped before sighing and glancing at Naomi. "You do realize you'll have to eventually trust her, right?" 

Shikamaru asked, standing up after paying his and Ino's meal. Kiba scowled and said, "I'm not really glaring at her anymore." "Not all vampires are bad, just as not all shinobi are bad." Shikamaru shook his head. "You'll understand that one day. Naomi would die for Tenten. She'd die for any of us, Kiba." 

He then shrugged and walked past him with a toothpick in his mouth. "Even you." Kiba scowled a little before ruffling his hair. Akamaru then barked from up ahead, calling to him. "Okay, okay, I'm coming! Damn!" He shouted, running ahead.

~

Neither spoke as they walked hesitantly towards their home, the Gates of Kohona. They weren't sure how to explain the events that went on, and even though they never discussed it, both figured it would be best to be as discrete as possible. 

They didn't walk side by side; but rather far apart. 

Although in sights, Tenten was almost nothing but a speck to Sasuke. If only he felt that way about her emotionally. If anyone attacked her, he'd make it in time. 

But unless it was needed, Sasuke would stay away from her, no matter how he felt. 

 The lump in his throat was ever so slowly leaving; the red in his eyes all but gone. He tugged at the sleeves of his shirt, hoping that he looked normal enough. What would he say to Tsunade? 

He wouldn't lie. 

Sasuke couldn't, and he knew damn well what she'd catch him in the act. He sighed, forcing his legs to move when he really wanted to sleep. The ground crunched below him; leaves crumpling; sticks and twigs breaking. 

His head throbbed lightly in pain as he stifled a yawn, finally tearing his eyes from the ground. He did his best to hide the partial shock he felt when he realized he had caught up to Tenten. 

She glanced at him, giving him a wary smile before looking up ahead. He stole a glance of her face, finding that the red was fading from her eyes as well. 

A part of him wanted her to cry more and to feel bad, while the other part of him wanted to wrap her in his arms. But this was her choice. She had decided to reject what he was offering; to reject him. 

And for what? 

For a dead Hyuga who treated her like shit for too long. 

Had Sasuke taken the same path as Neji? The two stayed quiet as they walked, expecting peace and quiet only to find a small group of familiar shinobi waiting for them. Naomi waved wildly, running towards Tenten and tackling her in a hug. 

In response, Tenten wrapped her arms around Naomi tightly, forcing a smile as she said, "I missed you too, Naomi." The hybrid smiled and hugged the brunette harder. She then tried to pull Tenten towards the gate faster, causing her to complain. 

"I'm too tired, Naomi! Slow down!" she whined. Ino laughed and waved at them. "Hey Tenten, Sasuke-Kun!" Sasuke simply glanced at her, inwardly in turmoil as he put up his blank front once more. 

Shikamaru watched them, frowning a little. He knew something was off, just by watching the way they moved. Once Sasuke crossed the gate, he was hugged by Lee. "I am so happy both my Youthful Comrades have returned home!" 

Ino giggled and asked, "Did the mission go smoothly?" Tenten smiled and nodded. "We have to report to Lady Tsunade now." 

Hinata smiled and said, "You both look so exhausted. Maybe you should sit a minute." Sasuke scoffed, turning and walking away from the crew. Naomi stared at him, her nose wiggling. 

Her eyes then caught what the others missed. "....Sasuke?" 

He paused, tilting his head towards her. She tensed up a little, gulping a little. "I, uh... Are you okay?" Sasuke blinked before turning away. "I'm fine." 

Naomi pursed her lips. She didn't believe him one bit. "....I smell someone else's blood. And yours." Sasuke scoffed, not pausing again. "I said I'm fine." 

Tenten flinched at his voice, her lips pressing together in a thin line as she hesitantly followed him. "We'll see you guys later!" she said as enthusiastically as she could, waving to them with a smile. 

Lee and Kiba smiled, seemingly convinced. Ino pouted but saved to them regardless. Hinata smiled and looked to Naomi. "We must go back now. We'll be late otherwise." Naomi did her best not to frown, but she knew something was wrong. 

She glanced at Shikamaru, who gave her a knowing look. 

Naomi then smiled a little and said, "Yeah, let's head back." Lee said, "And I will be going to the office to wait for my teammates!" Kiba rolled his eyes, petting Akamaru before walking elsewhere. "Later." 

Ino patted Shikamaru on the shoulder and said, "Let's go get Choji. I have a feeling he's at the Ramen Shop." Shikamaru shook his head, waving to Hinata before walking away. 

As he walked beside his comrade, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with both Tenten and Sasuke. And if he had to take any guess, it would be that something happened between them. 

He just didn't know what.

~

"It's good to see you both made it through. That is, I wasn't expecting you both to catch the traffickers." Tsunade smiled at them, although it never reached her eyes. 

"Well done." Sasuke merely nodded, wishing he could just go home. Tenten smiled at Tsunade, but almost felt just as bad, if not worse. She watched the two of them before sighing. "On the other hand... I will let this slip by. No one needs to know you were captured, Tenten. I trust your skills and Sasuke's, and that is the only reason why I won't be putting it on record." 

Tenten nodded, messing with the ends of her shirt. "I should've listened to Sasuke. He was right and I just..." 

"I should've gone with her," was all Sasuke said, unable to say anymore. He didn't want to think about it let alone talk about it. Tsunade nodded and stated, "You two really are humble ninja. However..." 

Tenten looked at her in confusion while Sasuke just raised an eyebrow. Tsunade frowned. "Don't think I haven't noticed how you're looking at one another. Whatever the issue may be, don't let it affect your relationship as fellow comrades and ninja of the Leaf." 

Sasuke nodded a little, his stomach twisting up. "Lady Tsunade.. We won't. I can assure you that." 

The Hokage nodded, the smile finally reaching her eyes. "Everything will work itself out, I can assure you." Tenten exhaled and nodded, looking to Sasuke with a smile. Sasuke's heart almost leapt, but he knew better. 

Play the part. 

Sasuke smiled back a little. "You're dismissed," Tsunade stated with the wave of her hand. Sasuke and Tenten took their earnings and nodded before leaving. Sasuke opened the door to see Might Guy and Lee on the other side, both with bright smiles. "Sasuke, Tenten, welcome back!!" Lee exclaimed, picking Sasuke up for a hug. 

Sasuke inwardly cursed all the while he just groaned. Tenten couldn't help but to giggle a little. Guy said, "I'm proud of you two. Not only was the mission a success, but you managed to take out the suspects!" 

Lee grinned, putting Sasuke down. "You two are amazing together!" "Why yes, the chemistry does assist in helping them work together!" Guy noted, a twinkle gleaming in his wide grin. Sasuke groaned and said, "That's... Wonderful and all. But we both need to rest." 

"Nonsense!!" Guy exclaimed. "We have celebrating to do!" Tenten shook her head. "Sensei... We need rest." Their teacher paused, but only for a moment. He then smiled. "You both did work a lot! Rest up and then we'll celebrate!" 

"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Lee added in, setting Sasuke down. He sighed before glancing at Tenten, who was looking at him. Having been caught, Tenten blushed and said, "Uh, w-well you three have a good day. I'm going to bathe." 

Guy and Lee gave her a thumb up before she walked away. She sighed, unable to get away from them fast enough. She eventually made it downstairs, barely making it out the door before she caught sight of Sakura. 

The pink haired kunoichi caught sight of her and grinned. "Hey, you two made it back! How did the mission go?" 

Tenten smiled at her and said, "It went... Well, I'd think." 

Sakura raised an eyebrow but smiled regardless. "I'm happy to hear that. Um... Is Sasuke-Kun..?" Her voice faded as she looked over Tenten's shoulder. "Oh, Sasuke-Kun! Welcome back!" 

Tenten didn't bother turning around, and instead continued to walk through the front doors. "Tenten, wait!" Sakura called out. Tenten didn't bother looking behind her as she said, "I'm going home. I'm in need of rest." 

Sakura pouted a little. "Oh... Okay. Well, I'll see you later then!" Sasuke watched her leave, tearing his gaze away from her as he looked at the young woman before him. 

She smiled at him brightly and asked, "So, how do you feel?" Sasuke frowned a little before her gripped her hand gently. "I feel... Better now." Sakura smiled shyly, giggling as she loosely locked fingers with him. "I missed you, Sasuke-Kun." 

Sasuke's free hand tightened into a fist before he gingerly reached out, pulling her close into a hug. "And I missed you," he murmured, keeping her close. 

He needed her comfort. Otherwise, he was doomed to the same agonizing fate Sakura experienced in his absence.

~

Deidara threw up his hands in defeat. "This game is rigged, hn!!" Kisame all but cackled as he slapped his knee. "No, you just don't know how to play!" 

The two had gotten into a heated card game, but in the end, it was Kisame who once again won. Sasori said nothing as he heated up water for tea. 

Meanwhile, Itachi was in the other room, dusting off Sasuke's shelves as he waited for his younger brother's return. When he started to dust off his pictures, the elder Uchiha paused. A small smile slowly formed on his face as he looked at the pictures of Sasuke's old and new team. 

He then saw a picture of him and their parents standing together; a young Sasuke on his back. Gingerly, he touched the picture, sighing as he reminisced about the old times. 

Someone cleared his throat behind him, causing Itachi to almost knock the picture off. 

He turned around to see Sasuke with his sack hanging over his shoulder. Sasuke looked at him, his face unreadable. Itachi smiled warmly. "Just remembering old times is all," he explained, dusting the picture off before walking toward the doorway. 

Sasuke gripped his arm, stopping him before he could make his way into the hall. The older brother looked at Sasuke in confusion. Sasuke looked up at him and said, "I want... I want to go home." 

Itachi frowned in confusion. "Home?" Sasuke nodded and said, "Not here, Itachi. Home. Our first home. I want to go there for a few days." "What brought this on, Sasuke?" he questioned, more curious than anything else. 

They hadn't gone back to their old home since he and Sasuke first returned to the village peacefully. 

The younger brother sighed. "There are things we have to talk about. That I need to talk about. But not here." 

Itachi hesitated before smiling softly. "Of course," he said quietly. "When?" "As soon as tonight," Sasuke stated, almost feeling hesitant. 

Maybe he was rushing everything, maybe he wasn't. But Sasuke knew that out of everyone, he could trust his brother the most. Sasuke just needed him to know that. 

~

I AM SO SORRY FOR TAKING FOREVER IN POSTING A CHAPTER, FORGIVE!!

I hope you enjoy! 

~ Nimo #IFanonNotCanon