"Hinata? Are you okay?" Sakura asked, concerned.
The Hyuuga girl nodded and stiffened again. It had been like this all mission, and it was worrying Sakura. Hinata was a strong kunoichi. What could be so wrong with her that she'd act like that?
Suddenly they heard a noise and froze. They had been out for two weeks now on a mission for Konoha. They had to infiltrate the Akatsuki and bring down three key fighters. They needed proof of one death in paticular.
After a minute or so, they decided they were clear and Sakura picked up the Hyuuga and brought her to a river, where she kept stiffening as if in pain. This was not the time to be hurt. They were just beyond the boundaries to Suna, and right behind the Akatsuki.
"Sa-Sakura?" Hinata asked after wave after wave of pain hit her. "We should just abandon the mission. I'm going to screw it up, and--"
"Don't worry. Maybe we should go to Suna, though. We're running low on supplies. Soon we'll only have enough--" Sakura started, shocked out of her train of thought at Hinata's words.
"Sakura, I'm pregnant," she interrupted.
The Haruno's eyes bulged out and she was speechless for a moment. "Who's the father?"
"Naruto."
There was silence for a longer span. Hinata and Naruto...huh. She never actually thought it'd be possible for those two, being so opposite. But that was it; they were Yin and Yang. Shy, loud; polite, annoying; mature...well, Naruto was something there. But was what made them so cool--they were so different.
"All right. Let's just get you back to Konoha, and I'll finish the mission," Sakura told her, helping her pregnant friend.
"Sakura and Hinata are back!" a boy yelled at the gate. Sakura didn't know him, but that didn't make her mean to him. She smiled and he gasped, running off to tell all the other boys what she did.
Tsunade appeared and saw the two girls, Hinata being supported by her friend.
A simple shake of the head and a nod at Hinata, and Tsunade knew the mission wasn't complete because of something with the Hyuuga. She sent for Shikamaru and Naruto, her lead-strategist and the rokudaime. They had some serious planning to do now.
"Well," Shikamaru started, having stopped smirking finally after knowing the future hokage got the Hyuuga pregnant, "we have several options. We can wait a few days and send Sakura back--"
"I accept," Sakura replied.
"Or we could wait a few days and send other ninja after them. We do need to wait a few days however," Shikamaru finished.
Tsunade looked at her apprentice. After years of hard-work and training, the twenty-year old Sakura Haruno was nothing like the young kunoichi she was. But to send her on a solo mission against three S-ranked criminals? That'd be...
"I'll go," she told them, standing up. "The mission was mine to start, so mine to end. Hinata didn't have to come. I can do this myself. Naruto, take care of her."
Nodding, he then shook his head. "Wait. You have to stay for a few days--you heard Shikamaru! So don't leave too!"
Cocking her head to the side, she tried to decipher the "too." Who else had left? It seemed all the missions lately were easy ones inside Konoha, or a ally country. All except for some ANBU, but none of his friends were placed on those missions. Or were they?
"How many days?" Sakura asked, sighing.
She would never hurt the dobe. He was like her brother--was. They found out on her mother's deathbed that she was both Naruto and her mother. Odd how that worked.
Then she started to wonder where she got that insult. She knew someone had called him a "dobe" before, but who was it? someone from her past.
"Three, four days," Shikamaru replied, knowing the sooner the happier she'd be.
There was talk all around the town of a shinobi being back. Sakura could care less at who it was--today she was going out on her mission. But who was this shinobi everyone wanted to meet at the gate?
Oh yes, at the gate where she was supposed to be leaving. She knew that for a fact, because she was trying to leave while the fan-boys all ran after her to stop her from leaving.
"Jeez, you'd think I'm deserting Konoha. Just like..." she trailed off, not knowing anyone who ever deserted Konoha. then she spotted it. Right where she could leave. She vaulted the gate and landed in a hand-spring turning and waving goodbye to the boys. "Bye bye guys!"
Sasuke was looking around. Out of all the people in the crowd, the person he wanted to se most of all was Sakura. How would she have changed since he left? She'd be taller for sure, but would she have filled out? Would she still be a fan-girl? Would she have gotten stronger?
Then he saw it. Well, heard it. There was a swarm of boys following someone and yelling Sakura. His heart skipped a beat. Could this really be his Sakura?
Then, instead of seeing him at the gate, not even sparing him a glance, she went over the gate. from the hair in the wind, he knew it was Sakura. But where did she go? Sasuke had expected her to be the first person to welcome her back, but instead she left?
"Sakura!" he heard Naruto yell, then found the boy being held back the Godaime, dragging him with her to see Sasuke. "Let me go! I want to be with my sister!" he yelled.
"Your sister is fine, Naruto. Sakura knows what she's doing. Were you always this protective?" the blonde, busty hokage asked, releasing him. Sasuke was shocked even she had called Sakura Naruto's sister.
"Of course. Even when we didn't know we were. But I need to protect her--it's instinct. I still see her as the kunoichi that needed to be saved from everything. Is the mission long?" he asked, wiping his clothes of dust. Then he looked at the teme. "You've succeeded," he told him.
"I have," Sasuke replied, smirking as he inwardly got over the shock of how Naruto phrased his words. It was like Naruto meant Sakura really was his sister, which she couldn't be. Both of Naruto's parents were dead. "And I came back on my own. As much as it hurts my pride to say this, I missed Konoha."
Tsunade smiled. Now she had reason to give him a light sentence, though she would have anyways for Sakura.
"Dobe, where'd Sakura go?"
"She's on a mission. She's killing some Akatsuki. Teme, she's my sister! Her mom was my mom. She's just like me now!" he told him. When Sasuke gave him that confused look, he sighed. "Sakura's dad died after you left, and her mom died a few months later. She's been trying to forget everything."
Several months passed, but not soon enough for the Uchiha. Tsunade said that Sakura's mission would be a long time, but she never said it'd take from spring to spring.
Sasuke sighed as he walked around Konoha with his friend. Hinata and Naruto were married now, with a child. He had gained back trust and respect, and even became an ANBU. But now he wanted Sakura, to help him with his second life-goal.
"So..." Neji said, trailing off, unsure what to say. "Any good missions?"
"Not the best, but okay. And how's TenTen been?" he replied, glad to start small-talk as they walked towards the Hyuuga house. Somehow they had bonded, and they could talk about anything. Including TenTen and Neji's relationship.
"Fine. Hasn't figured I like her, though. What am I going to do? I can't just tell her and hope she feels the same. We train together--if I tell her I like her, there goes all the training."
The two men sighed again. Silence pursued until Neji looked up. "It's Sakura's birthday soon. A month or two. You'd think she'd be back. It's been almost a year. surely it doesn't take that long to kill three men."
"Even so, the Akatsuki move around a lot. She may be lost," Sasuke replied, also looking up.
"Not true. Sakura has become very skilled. She isn't weak anymore. Something has happened. That girl beat me at preliminaries for ANBU. Apparently something's been welled in her body since childhood. The way it was explained to me was the Haruno have a time-detonation in their body. But most don't make it of age to let any detonators off."
Sasuke shrugged, looking at sakura trees. Where was his blossom?
"Sakura's coming!" a young girl yelled, running all around Konoha. "Sakura's back! She's finally back!" she yelled.
Everyone stopped what they were doing. The last of the "Spring field" was back--finally back!
Naruto and Hinata ran with their son to the gate, being the first there and followed by Tsunade and Shizune, then Gai and his team, followed by Kakashi, Jaraiya and Sasuke.
Other villagers gathered around, amazed she wasn't dead. How could this girl have been so long? The answer came as soon as she limped through the gates.
Sakura had taken a beating. Her arm fell to her side a little too loosely, her head sported a huge black lump, her face was swollen, and an eye so blacked over she probably couldn't see. Anyone with eyes could tell her chest was damaged, for there were huge jagged points where it seemed bones tried to protrude through her skin.
At this, Sasuke was shocked. She was a ANBU med-nin. How could come back in such a state? He was grossed out when he saw her kneecap move around, and what a bloody mess her legs were. Yet in her right hand was a sword he'd seen before--been cut with before.
Raising it above her head and sticking it deep in the earth, she collapsed behind it. "I've finally killed my father's murderer. Kisame, Sasori, and Deidara are dead. May the Haruno rest in pieces," she gasped, blacking out.
When she awoke, she didn't know where she was. Miraculously, she felt no pain and no protruding parts. She was shocked.
Sakura hadn't had the chakra to heal herself and make it back, so she decided she'd sacrifice her body so long as they knew she killed the murderous filth.
"Sakura?" a voice asked, shocking her. When she turned to look, she screamed. The raven-haired stranger covered his ears and looked at her. "Sakura? What's wrong?"
"Oh god! she's finally up!" Tsunade breathed, running into the hospital room where Sasuke watched over Sakura every day she was unconscious.
Two weeks, he only left the hospital once. In all that time, he was never really more than a few yards away. Anyone could tell it was true devotion. He loved her, and he no longer hid it--he was too afraid of losing her.
"Who...is he?" Sakura asked, looking at the stranger. He looked so familiar, like a boy in her dreams, but she didn't know. She didn't want to let that boy back in. He was the reason her life started to crash in all her dreams.
"Sa-Sakura, it's me. Sasuke-kun," he told her worried. He turned to Tsunade with a pleading look in his eyes. "Why doesn't she remember me?" he asked.
"I'm not sure. She's been through trauma--she's been avoiding her childhood. Maybe she just..." she trailed off, thinking of the words to say it. "The human brain is like a computer. Maybe, in trying to lose the traumatized data, she lost all the data with you in it. That's not a lot."
He looked terrified. Sakura--his Sakura--didn't remember him. "Will she ever remember me?"
Sakura cocked her head as he sat down next to her, crying. "Do I know you?" she asked. "You remind me of someone. A boy I knew. Are you him?"
He perked up. "Yes. A little boy you knew. I was a child with you and Naruto. Sakura, do you remember me? I used to be your crush as a child. Please, please remember me."
She stumbled as she tried to remember the name. "Sa...su...ke?" she asked, thinking it was right. "The boy...I was on a team with him?"
Thank God she knew him. "Yes, yes! Sakura, it's me. Sasuke. You used to call me Sasuke-kun. Remember? You cried over me when I almost died in Mist?" he told her, hoping--praying--she'd remember everything.
"You used to call me annoying," she said, slightly depressed. "And weak. You hated me."
"No, no. Sakura, I didn't. I loved you so much it annoyed me. That's why. Please, don't forget me," he begged her, showing her a ring. "I left for you, to protect you, so I could ask you this. Will you marry me?"
She looked at him. "Please leave," she begged.
Weeks past, and Sasuke still visited Sakura every day, asking her the same question. he refused to give up on her. He couldn't. Sasuke loved her.
Three weeks after she was conscious, she was released to live with Naruto, Hinata and their son. She remembered more and more of the past every day, but still she said no to Sasuke. She had no clue how much it hurt him.
"Sakura?" Hinata asked one day.
Looking at her friend and sister-in-law, she nodded, signaling to continue as Sakura started to change her nephew.
"Why don't you say yes to him? He loves you, and I know you love him. Even without remembering Sasuke, I can see you love him."
She sighed. "I do. But I remember all the things he used to say. It's like battling with myself. He left, and then my dad left because Kisame was looking for him. And then my mom died because she was sad about my dad. He hurts. I can't remember when he didn't."
Hinata sighed as she picked up her son. "Believe me, he didn't always. Sakura, say yes. If you never remember anything, make a new memory."
Naruto knocked on his son's bedroom door. "Sakura? Sasuke's here," he told her.
She nodded and walked downstairs. There he was, like always, sitting on the couch. He got up when he saw her and fidgeted. "Sakura, I know I ask this too much--" he started.
"Then why do you?" she asked, innocently.
He grimaced. "Because I love you. And I know that we weren't happy as we should have been, so this is the last time, and then I'll never ask again. Sakura, will you marry me?" he asked, taking out the ring.
"Yes," she told him, breathing and taking Hinata's advice.
He sighed in relief and put the ring on her hand, bruising her in a kiss. Sakura hesitated a second, then kissed him back with enough passion to make him moan. She liked the sound, and tried to make him moan again.
Sasuke brought his hand up and touched her breast through her shirt. She shuddered, and Sasuke moved it, making her moan. Naruto was coming down the stairs with Hinata and caught Sasuke bringing his hand down and up under her shirt. Sasuke started to lay Sakura down on the couch and take her shirt off entirely.
"Freeze, teme!" Naruto yelled, shocking the two into breaking a part. "You can screw with my sister all you want when you two get married and live in your house. I don't want to see my sister devirginized in my house. Go fuck her at yours."
Hinata slapped Naruto in the arm. "Hey! Stop pawning her off to your best friend just because they're engaged. She is not leaving this house until Tsunade says she can. Sakura, I'm so happy for you. You too, Sasuke. You've deserved it after your time waiting."
"Arigatou," he replied, smiling at Hinata with his hand still on Sakura binded breast with no shirt on.
It was then that a pop resounded in her head. As he let go of her, he was brought even more relief.
"Sasuke-kun? I remember you," she told him. "Now, can you please take your hand off my breast and give me my shirt so we can go to your house? I'd love to see your room."
Sasuke smirked and did as he was told. They were going to have a very long night.