Chapter one: Homecoming.

Shika/Saku/Neji

Ino/Kankuro

Tenten/Kiba

Temari/Sasuke

Naruto/Hinata

Jiraya/Tsunade

Kakashi/Shizune

Iruka/Anko

Asuma/Kurenai

19-year-old Haruno Sakura stood on the gates waiting with barely restrained hyper activity for her two favorite ninja to come within sight of the gates. 'I miss them so much!!' She thought as she bounced on the balls of her feet excitedly. The guards standing with her smiled and whispered to each other about her cuteness. "She's the Anbu leader but still acts like a little kid at Christmas when her two favorite shinobi come in from a mission without her." Sarutobi Asuma said. Hatake Kakashi laughed. "Yes. That's my Sakura-chan." He agreed.

Sakura was pacing the wall now with her eyes trained on the forest waiting impatiently. She finally turned to her old senseis and whined. "When are they coming?"

Kakashi laughed. "They're still in the desert Sakura-chan. Relax. Your beloved ninja will come home." He replied. Sakura pouted and crossed her arms. Asuma laughed too and ruffled the woman's knee-length pink hair. "I think I see them now." He said. Sakura's head swung in the direction Asuma was pointing at and her eyes brightened. The pink haired female jumped off the gates and ran to the two ninja giggling.

"Shika-chan! Neji-chan!!! I missed you!!" Sakura pouted. Nara Shikamaru and Hyuuga Neji were bowled over by the pink haired woman and smiled. "Hi Saku-chan. We missed you too." They said. Sakura let them get up and looked over them for wounds of any kind. "We're fine. It was just a mission to help Gaara take care of his pregnant sister. It's Sasuke's fault anyway." Neji said. "Tch she was troublesome." Shikamaru groaned. Sakura giggled and linked arms with the two of them before they walked back to the gates together.

Asuma and Kakashi grinned and watched them go in together. "They're the perfect couple." They said. Sakura, Neji, and Shikamaru walked toward their house but was stopped by a messenger ninja. "Sakura-sama the Hokage wants to see you." He said. "Ok. Thanks." Sakura replied.