AUTHOR'S FOREWORD

Naruto world is by the all talented Kishimoto Masashi.

This is basically a SasuxSaku story, but it also involves NaruxSaku at the beginning.
Must love the lemon!
Characters are above legal age.

Rated: M
Genre: Romance, Lemon, Slight Violence and Angst.

All opinions are appreciated. Do leave me feedbacks so that I know how I'm doing. Thank you for reading and I hope you'd enjoy. :D

A Game for Fools

Chapter 1: Men - As they are Flawed

Sakura jumped on her bed and slumped her exhausted body against the wall. How did things turn out like this? Bringing a bended knee up to support her arm she rested her tired head against it. Oh no, she wasn't physically drained; it was her emotions that were. Exhaling a sigh, she closed her emerald eyes tightly. The scenario continued to replay over and over in her mind. How should she have reacted to that? How can anyone expect her to react to that?

The whole town knew that Naruto and her were dating for at least a year now. When he had asked her the first time, there wasn't a valid reason why she should not have agreed. He had always been there for her; been around to comfort and console her; been loving her all the way. But she, though she truthfully was not in love with him, did not see why she should not have given him a chance or herself a chance at happiness. Maybe, just maybe, feelings will developed over time. However, the only one who had been happy was Naruto.

Yes, he was sweet and somewhat romantic. He would wait for her to knock off her shift at the hospital without fail; take her out for meals, though mostly to Ichiraku; buying her bouquets of flowers even when it wasn't on any special occasion. But she was only going with the flow, her heart wasn't there.

Then it happened, Naruto proposed. In front of everybody. How could she have reacted to that? Rejecting him before at least fifty pairs of eyes would crush him. She stood there dumbfounded. No words could escape her lips as she watched him go on bended knee with a ring in hand, expecting a reply. The emotions that welled up inside her had almost burst out, but she managed to tamp them down before they did.

She had pulled him off the ground and told him not to be silly doing this in front of so many witnesses as she gave a forced smile. And Naruto, being Naruto had thought that she had accepted his proposal, jumping up and proclaiming that he loved her above everything or anyone else and slid the ring on her finger.

Sakura emitted a sigh of frustration as she twirled the ring around her finger, removing it and setting it aside on her desk next to her bed. Naruto, why did you do this? She had to tell him the truth; that she couldn't marry him. He deserved someone better; someone who could reciprocate his love; someone like Hinata. She let her body slide from the wall to lie on her side on the bed. How was she going to tell him, without breaking his heart?

Covering her head with a pillow, she let out a maddened scream, thrashing her legs behind her angrily on the bed.

"Sakura!" Her mother called out from outside.

Not bothering to remove the pillow from over her head, she shouted a muffled acknowledgement, "Yeah?"

"Naruto, my future son-in-law is here!"

Crap! She jumped up from the bed in a flash, picking up the ring and placing it back on her finger. What was he doing here? She had not informed her mother of the engagement, apparently Naruto had beaten her to it. Her heart palpitated hard in her chest. She had to tell him. How? Two knocks on the door snapped her from her trail of thoughts.

"Ha—hai! Just a minute!" She could feel her guts twisting inside her as she paced around her room, chewing on her thumbnail nervously. A habit she picked up from her mentor, Godaime Hokage of Konoha.

The door swung open and Naruto stepped in with a bright grin on his face. "Hello, my love. I see you are wearing the ring. I hope you like it."

"Uh… I… I do." The tension in her cheek muscles tighten as she strained a smile at the blonde shinobi.

He handed her the bouquet of flowers he had gotten. Obviously, going through the trouble to personally pick the flowers; pink, in the exact same hue as her hair. Taking the bouquet from him, she thanked him with a hint of uneasiness and turned to place it on her table.

Naruto stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, in an embrace. He whispered affectionately, "I love you, Sakura-chan."

She chuckled uncomfortably, not responding to the profession. Placing her hand over his, she removed them from her waist as he loosened his grip. When she turned around, he collided his lips with hers, shocking her in the process, but she did not pull away nor did she react to his advances. She just stood there stiff and unmoved, not knowing what to do.

When he broke from the kiss, she called to him hesitantly, "Naruto… I…"

"You don't have to say it. I'll give you the biggest, grandest wedding any girl would die for! My future wife deserves that." He pecked her on the cheek and pressed his forehead against her left temple. "I'll make you happy. I promise." Then he made his way to her door and gave a smile and a wave, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Sakura heaved a sigh of relief and to rid herself of the tension. He seemed so caught up in his own happy dream, she would be a complete bitch to destroy it. How was she going to deal with this? She thought of Hinata, who had been devastated when Naruto chose Sakura over her, although Hinata hid her misery from everyone, Sakura knew. Hinata had not made her feelings known to him and Naruto had always been blind to her love for him. And Sakura, due to her own selfishness, had agreed to court him instead of rejecting him, because she was afraid that she would be left to rot on the shelf. Sakura knew that Hinata would have treated him with love and utmost respect, unlike herself.

Their relationship had been strangely platonic, despite being known under the moniker of a couple in the village. Sexual relations occurred as often as only twice during the whole of their year old partnership. Even during those periods, it happened only because she had needed a man to quench her thirst and he had never initiated it, it has always been her.

Lying herself back down on her bed, she closed her eyes in hope that the solution would come to her in her dreams. Bringing the back of her hand to cover her forehead, she hummed in meditation to clear her mind of the negative emotions.

Jumping out of bed when she was summoned by Tsunade in the morning of the following month, Sakura dressed up in her usual red vest, pink skirt, black tights. Fastening her hitai-ate on her head and fitting on her knee high sandal-boots, before proceeding out, sprinting quickly, as she knew that her master was not fond of people being late. Demonstrated once when Kakashi had arrived in the Hokage's office two hours overdue and was rewarded with a kick through the walls; that had taken him a full two weeks to recover in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit from the almost fatal injuries. No, Sakura wouldn't want the same fate.

She had not been able to tell Naruto the truth about her feelings, mostly due to him being so excited about their engagement that it was difficult to find the right time to break it to him.

When she arrived outside the door to the office, she could hear faint voices coming from inside; a female, which belonged to Tsunade and the other a male. Though the voice was familiar to her, she was unable to place a face on it. She gave a knock before turning the knob and opening the door, "Shishou…" Her voice faded away and eyes widen with surprise.

There, with his back to her, he stood, spiky black hair, white high collared long sleeved gi with the unmistakable crest of the Uchiha clan between the shoulders. Sasuke? Masaka? (Can it be?) She watched as he turned his head calmly to face her from slightly over his right shoulder. She froze at the door and her heart jumped in her chest.

"Sakura. Come in." Her master instructed her and she obeyed closing the door behind her. She positioned herself a fair distance away from the missing-nin, keeping wary eyes on him. There was no way she would ever forget the time he had tried to mercilessly kill her. This man is dangerous and she knows it. What was the reason for his presence here in Konoha, in the Hokage's office? She smelled something fishy brewing. And where the hell is Naruto?

Naruto burst into the office, just when she thought about him, sauntering in with arms behind his head and eyes squinted shut, "Ne, Obaa-chan… Wha—." He halted when he opened his eyes, shocked at seeing the Uchiha for the first time in four years, since their last fight where Sasuke had killed Danzo, the corrupted Konoha elder. "Sasuke?" He exclaimed.

Tsunade breathed with authority in her voice, "Naruto, Sakura. I have a duty to inform you that Sasuke has completed his mission for the village and has returned to Konoha."

"Mission?" The both of them questioned in unison with shock eminent in their voices, while the black haired shinobi scoffed at their anticipated reactions.

"I'm sorry, Shishou. I don't understand." Sakura was puzzled at the Hokage's words.

"Uchiha Sasuke was acting as a double agent for Konoha the past nine years. Allying with Orochimaru, then Uchiha Madara was all within the scope of his mission. The mission has been retracted and I have instructed for his return." Tsunade explained, "Sasuke will be reinstated as a Konoha shinobi and will rejoin Team Kakashi with immediate effect."

Sakura's jaw dropped. His defection had been a mission for the village all along? Unbelievable. Still, she wasn't ready to accept him into the team with open arms. He did, after all, not hesitate to injure everyone, Kakashi, Naruto and herself. She eyed her new-old teammate suspiciously and he smirked at her.

Naruto was keeping silent beside her with clenched fists, when suddenly he burst out happily, "I KNEW IT! Sasuke, I knew you wouldn't have abandoned your village and your friends." He ran towards the Uchiha and jumped onto his back embracing him with all his might. Sasuke was stunned by the unexpected shower of affection from the orange suited ninja and flipped Naruto off his back onto the floor. Naruto screamed on impact, "Itai! Sasuke-teme…"

"Usura tonkachi…" Sasuke mumbled turning his face away from the groaning Naruto. Then when his eyes met hers and he smirked again. A knot formed in her stomach and she peeled her eyes away from his.

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto dragged himself on the floor and lifted a hand to her, "Please help your future husband up… Please."

Her heart skipped a beat at Naruto's declaration. She had not wanted Sasuke to hear that. Why? She didn't know either. She had noticed the quick flash of consternation on Sasuke's features, before it disappeared under the usual indifferent expression. What was that about? Brushing it aside, she stretched out her hand to assist Naruto to his feet.

The reunited three-man team was dismissed from the Hokage's presence and they gathered outside the tower. Naruto was overjoyed that his teammate and eternal friendly-rival had finally returned home, so much so that he hauled them for lunch at Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto was open with his endearment for her and she felt extremely uncomfortable with Sasuke around to witness it. She knew that Sasuke was quietly observing as Naruto fed her with his pair of chopsticks despite her ample refusals. Sakura took her leave from the shop when she was done with her lunch, leaving the two men to catch up on their own.

When she got home, she sat by her desk and buried her face in her palms. Sasuke's back. It had only been a mission; that would mean that he was a hero, not an infamous criminal tied to the Akatsuki. Something was not right somewhere. Sasuke did defect because he yearned to avenge his clansmen and if he was the innocent party in these proceedings, then why did he still pursue after Itachi for vengeance? Sakura was not one who would let the truth slip away from her. She was going to find out what actually conspired in the background, not that she actually knew how to but, she could try.

She left the house in the late evening as the sky was beginning to darken the surroundings. The street lamps shone its bright light illuminating the path before her. She had needed to take a walk, thinking at home for logical answers to her predicament gave her a headache. Two things she needed to sort out: One: Naruto; Two: Sasuke.

Letting out a sigh, she came to her senses and found herself in the middle of the Red Bridge, the same one that the team would regularly gather before their training sessions with Kakashi. Those sessions never lasted long enough, because by the time the Jonin showed up it was almost time to go home. She smiled in reminisce of the good old times they had shared as Team Seven, sadly that Team Seven does not exist anymore despite their earlier reunion. Same yet not the same.

She rested her elbows on the ledge and leaned her body forward to look over the bridge, taking in the peaceful flow of the waters below. Closing her eyes for a moment to relief her mental exhaustion and her thoughts traveled to Kakashi. She had heard from Tsunade that he had been recalled into the ANBU to train the next batch of greenhorns and she hasn't seen him since. She kinda missed him, a little.

The sudden thudding of footsteps on wood drew her attention, so she straightened to her full height and braced herself for company. A shinobi is always alert, whether in or out of the battlefield. Long black forelocks that framed both sides of his face blew gently in the wind as he made his way over to her. He had changed out of his earlier clothes that look awfully akin to Otogakure shinobis' outfits and was now attired in a dark grey sleeveless gi and long navy blue pants. She had forgotten how handsome he was.

"I didn't think I'd see you here." Sasuke regarded her softly.

She didn't respond, but instead shifted herself to her former position before he had arrived, tilting her head up slightly to enjoy the breeze that caressed and gently pushed back her rosette locks from her face.

He settled himself beside her, leaning his back against the red railings and folded his arms to his chest. "How have you been?"

She sighed, "You've become rather chatty haven't you?"

"Hn…" He smirked at her sharp comeback. She had changed, the cheerful and carefree little girl he knew had grown to take on a somewhat darker persona. It was different. "I want to apologize for that time... when I attacked you."

"Attack? It wasn't just an attack, Sasuke. You were going to kill me." She scoffed, rolling her eyes.

He brushed his fingers through his midnight hair. "I was aiming for the space between your shoulder and your arm; it would have only been a flesh wound. It wouldn't have killed you."

"Then explain your killing intent." She hissed through her teeth and her emerald eyes gleamed with animosity as she cocked her head in his direction.

This was a new Sakura he was seeing and it intrigued him. He turned himself to take on the same position she had, elbows on the ledge. "I had to. I was under surveillance."

They allowed the quietness to linger for a moment before he broke the silence. "I've noticed you've dropped the suffix in my name."

She chuckled, not amused. "And you cannot think of any reasons why?" It was a rhetorical question, had he answered he would be sleeping on the riverbed tonight.

"I like it better this way." He gave her a sly smile, but she ignored him.

"Listen, Sasuke. You may have gained Naruto's trust in an instant, but not mine. I have seen enough, gone through enough and I am tired. Stay away from me." She warned as she straightened up and made her way to the other side of the bridge.

He followed, jumping to sit himself on the ledge beside her. She eyeballed him causing him to snigger. "About you and that dobe… You're not really engaged are you?"

She had wanted to wipe that smug look off his face, but restrained herself, "Why would you care?"

"When I left Konoha I didn't know what I was going to lose, but now it's crystal clear what I had lost." He breathed, "You."

She choked. He was being sentimental. Sasuke was being sentimental. "Goodbye Sasuke." Pushing herself up with the help of the ledge, she attempted to walk away, but he caught her by the wrist.

"Wait." She didn't fight his grasp and stayed for a moment to permit one last audience. "Just answer the question."

"Yes, we are." She said flatly, eyes looking down at her feet. "Now if you don't mind, I would like to be alone."

He released his grip and she walked away without turning back. She was not going to allow herself to fall, not again. As they say, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me". Sakura emitted a seething scoff; she was not going to be fooled again.

After a refreshing bath she laid herself on the bed, hands behind to pillow her head. She had been thinking about the conversation they had. He was no longer the Sasuke she knew. He had become… more human. Why was he interested whether she was engaged? And what did he mean when he said that he had lost her? It cannot not be that he, Sasuke, had an interest in her, because he had never shown interest in any woman, let alone her.

She turned to her side, bringing a hand up to comb through her damp tresses in an attempt make it dry faster. She then remembered that brief expression he gave when Naruto informed of their impending nuptials. What was that about? She emitted a disturbed sigh. Men are so difficult and too confusing to handle.

Author's Notes:
Heh heh.. He's back…
Leave me your thought and reviews, so that I can see how I'm doing so far as I prep the next chapter.
Thank you for reading. :D