Full Summary - Anko, Tenten and Sakura left Konoha heartbroken and betrayed. They start a new, better life in a far away village, they gain strength and knowledge. But fait had other plans for them and girls found they're ex-teammates and lovers in they're village.
Pairings – KakaAnko, NejiTen, SasuSaku (Also girls with OC), hints of NaruHina.
Genre – Romance, Humor, Drama
Rating – M
Disclaimer – I Don't Own "Naruto"
Important – English is not my first language, sorry for mistakes.
Wonderful life
Prologue
(by dreamer779)
He was back.
Finally, after all these years, he was back, for good. At least she hoped so.
In reality nothing really changed. She imagined that after he walked through those old metal gates of Konohakure, earth would start to shook, stars fall out of the sky and land peacefully around them, illuminating the dark village. She thought that her heart would beat like crazy, she would be shaking all over, looking at him with teary gaze, everything around them gone. Nothing short of happened.
She felt nothing. No tears of joy, no relief that he was safe and now, finally, everything's going to be the way it supposed to be from the beginning. She didn't even felt the wish to smile at him.
Sakura checked if her body was numb. Maybe she felt such a rush of emotions that her body simply couldn't hold out anymore, and gone numb. She pinched herself in the arm and felt that, no, she was fine. That also meant that she wasn't dreaming and she was still conscious.
What the hell was wrong with her?
Overall the indifference she was feeling, Sakura was actually proud of herself. She waited for this day for years. 7 years to be blunt. She was afraid, that she couldn't keep herself in cheek and make a complete fool of herself. God, how she was afraid of that.
After he walked into the village, he stopped few steps from the gates and looked at everyone. The message-bird was sent a few days ago by Kakashi, whom was on a mission with Naruto and Sai that they ran into Sasuke and his new team and they were willing to go back to Konoha on they're own will. After hearing that, Rookie 9 that was left in a village was overjoyed. They talked about that for hours, each chance they've got, not really realizing Sakura's condition. She really wanted to get a year-long mission, so she didn't have to face ay of them so soon.
Tsunade canceled all of they're missions. Just to be safe. Who new what a traitor was actually planning? I mean, he already killed Danzo and most of the elders for God-know what reason. She didn't want to risk any more lives. Sakura understood that.
She looked at her ex-cell for a moment. All beaten up, bruised, tired…happy. Naruto probably beaten up Sasuke for what he did to all of them. She could see yellowish bruise on the left side of his face. Somehow, she didn't felt sorry for him. At all.
There was silence as they all stood face to face. Sasuke, his new team and Sakura's ex-teammates and Rookie 9 that stayed in the village. Sakura saw Tsunade, guarded by 3 ANBU. She felt Anko's presence near her own and was grateful for her support.
She could also feel some shy stares at her, from both sides, waiting for her to go to Sasuke and at least hug him. She knew perfectly well that they actually kind of hoped to see her fall to her knees and cry her eyes out. She hated them for that.
She hated they're looks of pity when she would walk by, or those sickening supportive smiles that everyone gave her whenever they get a chance. They all probably thought they were helping her. Only a few people understood that it was only driving her crazier.
Ino looked at Sakura, waiting for her rival to make a move. She had the right to. They were her teammates and Ino understood what comes first. She waited a couple more seconds in this awkward silence and decided to take matters into her own hands.
She liked winning.
Ino sighted deeply, spread her hand out and walked to Sasuke with tears in her eyes and joyful smile.
Her sudden movement couched his attention, because everyone was as still as stones. He looked at her with rise eyebrow but did nothing to stop her. He wanted to see everyone's reaction. He wanted to see Sakura's reaction.
He was kind of surprised that he didn't saw her at a few miles before gates. He expected that. He was even more surprised that she didn't fell to her knees and practically kissed the ground he walked on. He actually imagined all of that from the first second they all turned around and headed back to Konoha.
Instead, she now sat comfortably on guard's desk, so elegant, so mature, so breath-taking. She looked at him with blank eyes, no emotion displayed on face and he felt a slight pang in his chest. He quickly shook the feeling away and looked at the matter in his hands now.
Ino was approaching him faster then he would have liked it. From the corner of his eye he saw a lot of shocked faces, probably expecting Sakura in Ino's place. He, himself, wasn't an exception.
The blond woman approached him gracefully and throw her arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly.
"Oh, Sasuke-kun, we missed you so much!" she was yelling into his ear and he was quickly becoming annoyed. "Welcome home, sweets!" she whispered into his ear.
He wasn't expecting that. At least not from Ino and not so fast. He barely put a foot into this God damn village and fan-girls were already all over him.
He sighted and glanced at Sakura.
It looked like she haven't moved a muscle. She was just watching everything with a blank look, not a single emotion displayed on her face. He also saw a woman with short dark hair, Anko or something, if he remembered correctly, glancing at her from time to time, pride in her eyes. For some unknown reason.
He was beginning to wonder if she really was there. If it wasn't an illusion. If she was alright. What happened while he was gone?
He could faintly hear Karin's hiss of disapproval and Suigetsu's silent snicker. He was sure that behind his back, Juugo was watching everything with curious look in his eyes, but surprisingly blank face. He knew that Naruto was laughing inside, maybe even aloud, he couldn't tell. Kakashi was probably watching Sakura, just like himself, waiting for her to hop off of the stool and run to them with tears of joy and a happy smile. Sai probably stared at everything with a blank face, he didn't knew him fell enough to tell, and didn't really wanted to know him in the first place.
Sakura felt it. The pride in Anko's eyes. She could feel it penetrating right into her bones, right into her soul. She was proud of herself.
This unbelievable feeling filling all of her. She stood tall, didn't humiliated herself, didn't even thought of lowering herself into her past selves level.
She knew that she had to pull through these few awkward minutes of unpleasant reunion. If she did that, Sakura knew that she could walk proudly down the street and pass him without even a single glance anytime of her life. She was sure she could finally get over him. Start from a knew.
Sakura was actually surprised at her self control. She felt such a rush of emotion's, but, just like Ibiki teach her, she didn't show any of them.
Sakura couldn't possibly remember the last time she felt such a swell of emotions. She felt everything. Anger, sadness, grief, sympathy, excitement and all the other kinds. She felt a tab of joy. After all, her boys were finally home.
She over-thought the last sentence. No. She had no right to call them 'her boys'. They had no right to be called that.
Still, she couldn't suppress that small butterfly in her stomach. Sakura knew she was happy for them. She couldn't deny it. Not to herself, at least.
Sakura would later tell anyone who asked, that she felt nothing to that dark eyed devil right in front of her. No love, not even brotherly love. No sympathy, no pity. Nothing. Only a few knew better. And that few never asked. They could always tell just from the look in her eyes.
She finally managed to take her eyes off of the team, whom left her behind and looked around. She saw a few shinobi reaching out for they're weapons, just in case anyone would suddenly attack, now that Yamanaka was in an embrace of S-class criminal. Tsunade was telling something to ANBU that stood to her right. A few citizens stopped by to look at the 'lovely scene', some of them aww'ing at they're 'cuteness'.
Was she jealous? Sakura never liked to lie to herself (she always found it easy to the other's, thought) and admitted. Yes. She was a bit jealous. But not for the embrace Ino shared with Sasuke. Not for the warmth of it. She was jealous for… she didn't knew the answer.
There just was too many thoughts, too many emotions to deal with. She couldn't concentrate on one thing at the time. That usually was an easy way to do, thought.
She asked herself what she should do now? Was she suppose to run to the two hugging people and tear away they're hands from each other? Is that what everyone expected?
She wasn't a fool anymore. She could easily read people now, even such a stones as Neji himself was powerless against her. She knew everyone waited for a dramatic reunion of once best team of Konoha.
Sakura felt the urge to laugh icily. She wasn't going to act the way everyone wanted her to. She's not going to go there and make a complete fool of herself, maybe even get rejected again. That would be a show! People with no life would have something to talk about for weeks.
'Sorry to disappoint you' Sakura thought and returned her eyes to Tsunade's.
She had her own mind. She wasn't going to let people play her anymore.
Sakura turned her head to Anko. She silently asked her what she should do, because Sakura was now totally lost.
Anko was standing at her left, leaning against the stool, arms crossed over her chest, cold look in her eyes. She felt Sakura's gaze on her and turned her head once more to her pink haired friend. She immediately saw that unspoken question in her eyes and knew that there won't be long, until she'll brake.
She sighted and put a hand on Sakura's knee, instantly calming her disturbed mind. She looked at Tsunade, impatiently. How long is she going to wait? God, she was making a scene here! Hokage was supposed to order ANBU to immediately transfer that traitor and his team into Interrogation Base for information. At least, get him to jail or lock him up, so he won't change his mind until his trial.
What, on Earth, was she doing?
She heard Sakura take in deep breath. Anko felt her muscles relax a bit and she was glad she managed to calm her down.
Tsunade finally made a move and ordered ANBU squad to lead Sasuke and his team into a hospital to treat they're wounds. Naruto and Sai followed them, Kakashi disappearing into Hokage's office, probably to leave his mission report.
Ino let go of the long gone Uchiha and looked directly at Sakura. She wasn't looking at them, she was talking to Anko about something, that made Sakura laugh. It was a short one, but whole-hearted laugh and Ino felt jealous that she wasn't the one, whom brought a smile to her friend's lips.
Sasuke was locked up with chakra strings by some random ANBU, all the while looking at Sakura, waiting for any sight that she was at least willing to talk to him. Nothing. She wasn't even looking at his side. Instead talking with that black haired woman.
She then laughed.
At that moment Sasuke realized that he knew nothing anymore. That the old Sakura was gone and in her place there was a totally new human being. The one with amazing self control, hour-glass figure, long, pink, silky hair and shining emerald eyes. Sakura with a cold look, blank face and absolutely unreadable, which was weird, knowing the fact, that anyone could read Sakura when they were younger. The one, that didn't welcome them with open arms.
Sakura the fan-girl. Sakura the weak one. Sakura. The annoying one. The one Sasuke thought about. The one and only he truly missed. Simply gone.
He had seen it in her eyes, the moment they're gaze's couched each others when he was walking by, all tide up and bruised.
The old Sakura Haruno no longer existed.
