A Rose By Any Other Name (A Sasuke Uchiha Story)

Chapter 28.

It was time for them to leave, and Mei had packed everything she needed—though there wasn't much to pack—dealt with everything that was necessary, and was ready to go. It meant she went to find Sasuke, who was in the same position, having now been given back his weapons and the gem removed, considering he would no longer be using them in the outside world. But turning to face her with a smirk as she stated she was ready, together they headed for the entrance to the dojo. Mei didn't halt to look at any of the rooms or contemplate what she was doing. She had made her decision, and she wanted to do it; therefore the only way to go now was forward, and that was where she was headed now. It was a thought that remained in her mind as they finally reached the entrance and left the building, turning towards the pathway that led back down to the tunnel and the pool on the other side, the village and the valley...and everything that lay beyond it.

Their pace was casual as Mei and Sasuke headed down the hill, gazing over the vista of the forest that had once been her home—but she didn't look back. It was in the past now, and she led the way, Sasuke following on behind her as they made their way down the steps, and soon enough reaching the tunnel. Glancing behind her to make sure Sasuke was still following; he nodded in return as their eyes met, pulling forward to walk beside her as they continued into the darkness, following her advice as she said, almost in a whisper, 'stay close'. When making his way through the tunnel on his own he had proceeded slowly, with it being pitch black and causing him to have to blindly feel his way across the rocks to avoid tripping or walking into a wall. Mei, however, didn't hesitate in the slightest and Sasuke walked behind her, his back brushing against hers to make sure he knew where she was. She walked confidently through the darkness, her movements no different to when it had been light, and Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. She had been given her title for a reason, after all.

But just like before, that glimmer of light appeared once again, and making their way towards it, the light grew brighter and enveloped the entire tunnel, until they reached the end and stood, just like they had at the beginning, on the pool. Looking around the clearing it brought back memories for both of them—it was where they had met. Their opinions of each other had been a little different, however...but looking at each other now it was clear how things can change. Taking a moment longer to consider how much had altered in such a short time, Mei then closed the entrance to the tunnel once more, leaving the dojo and everything trailing it behind her. With that done, they moved onwards, heading out of the forest and into the village, the villagers ignoring Sasuke and passing a few glances to Mei, knowing her as familiar, but having never really gotten close enough to connect and know who she really was. It made things a little easier—she had no one she had to say goodbye to.

A few minutes longer, and the village had disappeared into the trees behind them, and soon they arrived at the gateway to the valley. Mei didn't even pause here, merely looking upwards the moment she began to get closer, and keeping her eyes on it as they went on walking, until eventually, as they passed underneath it, she moved her gaze away. Sasuke had watched her, wondering what might be passing through her mind, often finding her hard to read, but liking that fact about her at the same time. He had noticed she hadn't hesitated at all while they had left, from the moment she had come to get him to now. He would have said there was no expression on her face for him to analyse, but then she naturally didn't show much emotion in the same way he did, and he didn't really want to analyse her. Mei was leaving her home—the place where she'd lived all her life and where everything she was connected to had been, whether memories or family—so it was natural for her to be considering that fact. To be thinking about how things will be and how things were.

But Mei was focused on the road ahead. A lot had happened recently, and it had made her realise things. She had come to understand that she was viewing the dojo in too idealistic a way, and she needed to let it go. With what had changed, she needed to accept it and move on with it. Defeating Uragiri, meeting Sasuke and, well, falling in love with him...sort of, you know, she guessed. And Mei knew what the valley was like. She knew it was isolated, and empty, and cut off from the rest of the world. That the villagers weren't exactly willing to accept newcomers and that she wasn't even one of them. Mei knew she was different—that she understood things that the rest of the villagers didn't, that she knew things, had seen things and comprehended there was a whole world outside of the valley. To the villagers, the village was their lives, and it was all they needed to know. But it wasn't like that with Mei, and it never had been. She had abilities that weren't meant for the valley—and that she had kept there for so long. It was time for her to meet that world, and to use her abilities elsewhere.

And there was Sasuke. She wanted to be with him, after all. Not in a clingy, 'don't leave me, take me with you, wherever you go I'll follow' kind of way, but Sasuke had a goal. He didn't want to be cooped up in the valley, and he shouldn't have to be. Mei had spent so long sitting in the dojo pissed off that she had no idea where Uragiri was and that she couldn't go and search for him—but Sasuke was able to search. He was able to go out there and find the information he needed; to actively go after the guy he wanted, to do what Mei had never been able to do, and had desperately wished for. With a chance like that, Mei wasn't about to stop him from using it—but she wanted to be with him while he did it. She wanted to help him complete his revenge, to complete his training, and to know that if she was leaving the valley and the dojo, she could stay with him all the while. She might not be overly vocal about her feelings, but she could admit to herself now and again that she cared about him. It made sense to travel with him rather than go off alone.

Even if it felt strange to think it.

But Sasuke had agreed with it all. Though he wanted to complete his training, he liked the idea of leaving to travel at the same time. He liked the idea of Mei being willing to leave to train him while he travelled; the idea that she would be helping him with his goal to kill Itachi, and getting to have her with him while all this was happening. After all, she was his girlfriend—though it was strange to say and think every time—of course she would be coming with him. So there had been nothing to stop them both from packing up their things and heading out of there, and as Mei continued walking she wasn't sure what emotions she was feeling. She had been out of the valley before, so it wasn't as if it was all new and exciting—and excited wasn't an emotion she experienced particularly often, if at all—but in a way, it sort of felt like that. That it was new. Because she would be seeing everything from a whole new perspective.

She wasn't going back—that wasn't her home anymore. So what was she feeling? Sadness? Happiness? Regret? It was hard to tell. There was a balled up mixture of emotions inside of Mei that meant she couldn't separate one from the other, and as such she didn't bother to try. They would unravel themselves with time, and for the moment she concentrated on what was in front of her, not bothering to even glance back at the gateway and what lay behind it. Sasuke was the one who would be leading her from here, and she didn't know where he would be taking her, and a sense of mystery came from that, at least. It meant that she simply followed Sasuke's pace, not truly focusing on a direction or thinking about a destination, until Mei abruptly felt his shoulder brush up against hers, and glancing over at him and what he might want, she saw him smirk as he stated simply,

"This is it."

And with a small smirk back, Mei merely nodded in return. After all, he was right:

This was it.

And the only way was forward.