Hi! Everyone! This is my first fan-fic EVER…so please don't judge it too harshly…I'm not really a writer, I'm an artist ^.^ If there's any mistakes please tell me so I can go back and fix it. . Also, just to warn everyone, whenever I try to write some story…it comes out pretty weird. I don't know what it is…maybe some can tell me…Also, my VERY sorry if people are ooc… I hope to get better as the chapters go on… Well, I think that takes care of everything! I hope you like it…if not, please tell me what to improve. ;__;
Chapter One
Sakura was the same girl four years ago, but grown up, of course. Still looked basically the same, except for the shoulder-length hair and the adequately gained curves in all the right places, unlike some other female ninjas. Hell ya! Take that, Ino-Pig! Almost still acted the same way, inside and out.
The place where she was headed was up ahead. She took a worn down path from the village to get to the memorable location. The place had been her old school, the place where she started as a ninja. Just by staring at it, the pink haired girl could remember so many distant memories and the countless emotions she experienced while growing up…
Sakura would every now and then sneak out and come here late at night just to think. Everyone had a favorite spot to meditate and this was her spot. It was on a night just like this, that she realized that even though she's not very powerful or doesn't even have a special technique, she still a ninja just like the rest of them. She went to the same academy, went through the same basic training and even took the same exams. This was just one of the many things she realized about herself while wandering around village at night. This academy was the one place where Sakura would think about herself and reflect on the past the most.
She slowly wandered over to the tree with the solitary swing at the front of the school and sat down. She didn't start swinging or even swaying she sat still, staring, unblinking at the school.
The emerald-eyed girl shudders after a while and frowns at the school's front doors. 'Jeez…the school sure is freaking creepy at night.' Her inner self agrees enthusiastically.
Sasuke…
Sigh…
It's been four years…When are you coming back? …And Why…
Why did you leave?
The Inner Sakura answers her Outer self. 'Humph! What am I thinking? Of course I know why he left…'
------Flashback-----
When she heard Naruto was finally back…and in the hospital, she ran there without stopping. Kakashi, who had told her about Naruto's return, had refused to tell her about Sasuke. No matter how much she screamed at the top of her lungs or how much she crying till she hiccupped, the Jounin just stood there stoically staring at her. The part of this situation that got to the girl the most wasn't the part about him not saying anything; it was what she could see in his face, all in his one eye. She stopped cold at seeing all the pity, the pity solely directed for her. Her clothes were a mess, hair everywhere, eyes burning red from crying, she raced directly to Naruto's room without stopping, only pausing for a second to find out where it is. She furiously walked past Choji's room, Neji's room, Kiba's room, and Shikamaru's room in order to get to the last sickenly, white, clean, room at the end of the hall.
"Naruto!"
Sakura stomps over to the fox boy's bed, only to discover he's asleep. "Naruto…" Tears start to drip silently down her face as she drops onto her knees at the side of the bed. She sat there for a while watching him sleep, running through all the horrible things that could have happened in her mind. The sleeping blonde boy's hand suddenly clutched his single white sheet that covered him.
"S-S-Sakura-chan." He whispered unsteadily.
"Naruto? I'm here! What happened? What happened to Sasuke?"
"Sakura-chan…I kept my promise…" He laughed, with his eyes closed. "I kept my promise! I brought Sasuke back. Because. Because that's my ninja way." He smiles largely with his eyes still closed and his head drops down, falling dead asleep.
Without any tears left to cry, even for happiness, Sakura gets off from the floor and smiles softly at Naruto.
"Thank You, Naruto." She turns around to leave, but then sees the fifth Hokage watching them from the door, blocking the doorway.
"Sakura."
"Hokage-sama." The small girl bows deep in respect, yet suddenly hating the women for making her worry. Making her worry and even fear that her now near perfect life with Sasuke was coming to a deadly halt. Yet again.
"Come with me." The strong women walked slowly out of the hospital not waiting for the pink-haired girl to follow. The girl followed almost too distantly behind her, passing various people along the way. She was too troubled to even think about what's happening, let alone the people/ objects around her. Finally they were in the large offices of the female Hokage. Being too soon after the third hokage's death, there were almost no decorative additions of the fifths, except a few pictures of her precious ones. It was now just the two of them surrounded in the dark atmosphere.
"Is Sasuke dead!?!" Sakura blurted out. Tsunade stared down at the girl contemplating what to say for a minute before she answered.
"No, he's not."
"Then where—"
"Stop." Tsunade interrupted. "Before I tell you anything, you must promise to go on with your life after this. No matter what I say. Even if it's without Sasuke"
'Go on with my life? What the hell does that mean? Why doesn't she ask me this after she's told me? There must be some GOOD reason…and I know it's not going to be very pleasant. But I guess I have to promise before I'm actually told anything. Even if I argue for a long time, I still won't be told anything. I might as well go along, Hokage-sama is doing this for a good reason, isn't she?'
"I promise."
Get on with my life, huh? Even without Sasuke…
---End of Flashback---
'Why did I have to promise that so easily? If I hadn't, I'd probably would have gone to get Sasuke and brought him back here…back here with all of us. But now I'm not so sure I would go and bring him back. He's hidden for a reason.'
Sakura looks down at her feet wondering why she's thinking about this now. She grabs the ropes of the swing and grips the robe tight.
'Sakura, never say anything about Sasuke… there are spies all around… don't want Orochimaru to find out anything…Not until it's safe …'
She starts swaying back and forth slowly still staring at her feet.
'Sasuke, it's been awhile since I last saw you, but I still love you, just not how I used to. I used to love you because you were the best in class and because you were so dark and mysterious. I've realized it was a silly crush, and now I just love you as a teammate would. I've kept my promise as a ninja and moved on, because I'm not the same silly little twelve-year old, I've actually grown up some. Hopefully we'll see each other soon. Goodbye, Sasuke…For now.'
Sakura wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks as she got up off the swing. The now-woman started to walk-almost skip back to her home, worried that her parents might realize she was out. There was an almost a happy jump in her step, almost as if she wasn't carrying extra weight that held her down.
'It's been pretty boring around here…Maybe I should start dating…but who?' Sakura stopped for a milli-second to ponder the question…
'I don't know, but I think I'll know when he comes.' She smiled briefly, while her 'Inner Sakura' was cheering her on.
When she got to her house, she was worried that her parents weren't asleep and is right behind the door in front of her, waiting for her to get home. She narrows her eyes at the door as she shivers…Scary…
'Might as well take a chance.' The teenager takes a deep breath as her hand reaches for the door knob and opens the door slowly…she exhales.'
"Yes. Not here." Freedom!
Using her best skills, the emerald-eyed shinobi silently goes up the stairs and heads to the second room on the right…. passing her parents bedroom. There was what sounded like voices arguing coming from there. Hoping that they were too absorbed in their conversation then in her slight chakra outside their door, she was about to slip past their door when their conversation interested her more then not getting caught.
"…Sasuke…Lying to all of them…"
Just those words her father had just said alone caught her attention, wanting more she went closer and heard what she was never supposed to hear…
"It's for their own good! I mean it's all over now, why should we depress them with the truth?" A deep voice filled frustration answered this statement.
"They ARE ninjas, that's what a ninja is…This secret where that Uchiha kid really is should have been told to them, not just some cover up story!"
A soft worried female voice shushed him up. "Stop! You're becoming too loud. There's ANBU all over the place. If we're discovered…"
"Nadeshiko, don't worry. I doubt anybody is around. Besides, I don't think they'll actually be executing people for talking about this…At least I hope not."
"We aren't supposed to be talking about this. Period. It was a decree made by Hokage-sama, so we WILL be executed if found out…""
Sakura had heard enough of the conversation and ran into her bedroom, not even caring if her parents knew if she was out, just about what they said. I can't even confront them about this… There are just so many questions I want to ask now.
'…Executed…'
If people were to say anything they really would be executed? Has this been going on for four years?
But what really happened to Sasuke?