Sasuke had been back in Konoha for several months now and had yet to see Sakura. 'Tch probably as weak as she has always been. She probably is still pining away' he thought to himself, He passed by the memorial stone and saw her standing there, he swiftly masked his chakra and watched her as he listened to her conversation.
"Hi mom…..I know it has been a long while and I am sorry. So much has happened, Sasuke is back and I honestly don't know how I feel about that, I still love him but I feel it is best for me to take Lady Tsunade's suggestion and leave to pursue a new dream. I hope you can forgive me for I will not be here for a long while. But I promise I will become someone that you will be proud of." Setting the flowers down she turned and walked back to her lonely home.
Sasuke walked up to the memorial stone and saw two names that made his heart ache….
Mebuki Haruno….K.I.A….
Kizashi Haruno…K.I.A…
He walked back to the compound as he thought in silence…'what is she leaving for?' he knew she wasn't leaving to pursue ninja skills as she could accomplish that in Konoha. He decided he would ask Naruto as he knew her better. He stepped into his compound and looked around, it was cleaner than when he left it years ago, the scent of sakura blossoms lingering in the compound and he knew who had kept it clean.
He quickly changed and laid down in his bed and sleep overtook him swiftly. He woke to the sounds of birds chirping and Kakashi standing by his bed. "Let's go, we are seeing Sakura off to her new destination, Naruto and I wanted a team 7 farewell." Kakashi disappeared in a poof of smoke. Sasuke got changed and headed out meeting up with everyone else at the gate, surprised to see how many people were there.
Tenten and her group were the first to hug Sakura and wish her well, even Neji hugged her and wished her well and safe journeys. As the groups made their way down the line, Sakura noticed that Sasuke was there. She quickly hugged him last and waved before leaving through the gates. Sasuke never got the chance to ask where she was going or if he would even see her again.
Naruto glanced at Sasuke, "she'll be back in a few years, she has something to achieve. Something her mother wanted for her" He turned and headed towards Ichiraku. Sasuke ran to the kage tower aand into the office.. "I want to escort sakura to her destination Tsunade…." She raised her eyes to meet his and narrowed them.
"Why? She left in a way because she couldn't handle being here with you back. Why would I send you after her when you have no idea where she is going. Did you even love her at one point? Did you notice she would have crawled over broken glass for you? Hell that girl was brave enough to want to go with you to Orochimaru's and that is no easy task to offer." She said as she watched his reactions.
"Please….I have been thinking ever since I came back and there is something there between me and Sakura and I just want time to see what that is and where it takes us." He explained, Tsunade sighed, feeling bad for the Uchiha before her.
"She is heading to Suna, Gaara and Temari own a recording studio and Mebuki wanted Sakura to have a non-ninja life so she wished for music for her daughter. If you leave now you can catch up with her. You hurt her again and I will punch you all the way back to Oto"
Sasuke disappeared and after quickly packing he took off at a run to catch up. Surprisingly enough it took him half a day to catch up to her. Sakura met his gaze with her own "What are you doing here Sasuke? I Don't need you to watch my back." Sasuke smirked.
"I am accompanying you Sakura, if you don't mind. In fact I heard you were quite the singer….can I hear a song if you have one?" Sakura watched him closely. She dug in her back pack and dug out her mp3 player that had her music on it. She started playing it loud enough for him to hear as she opened her book.
I watched the walls around me crumble
But it's not like I won't build them up again
So here's your last chance for redemption
So take it while it lasts because it will end
And my tears are turning into time
I've wasted trying to find the reason for goodbye
I can't live without you
Can't breathe without you I dream about you honestly
Tell me that it's over
Because if the world is spinning and I'm still living
It won't be right if we're not in it together
Tell me that it's over
And I'll be the first to go
Don't want to be the last to know
Sakura raised her eyes as she met his gaze, she knew the next part would affect him and she wanted to see just how much and if he was willing to chase her for a change.
I won't be the one to chase you
But at the same time you're the heart that I call home
I'm always stuck with these emotions
And the more I try to feel the less I'm whole
My tears are turning into time
I've wasted trying to find the reason for goodbye
I can't live without you
Can't breathe without you I dream about you honestly
Tell me that it's over
Because if the world is spinning and I'm still living
It won't be right if we're not in it together
Tell me that it's over
My tears are turning into time
I've wasted trying to find the reason for goodbye
I can't live without you
Can't breathe without you I dream about you honestly
Tell me that it's over
Because if the world is spinning and I'm still living
It won't be right if we're not in it together
Tell me that it's over
Tell me that it's over
Over
Honestly tell me
Honestly tell me
Don't tell me that it's over
Don't tell me that it's over…
Sakura glanced down as she closed her book and put it back in her bag along with her mp3 player. She didn't notice the look of pain flicker in his eyes until he lifted her face to his and met her lips with his own. Sakura's hands slid around his neck as Sasuke slid his fingers through her hair. "Beautiful song Sakura, however there is one problem…." Sasuke met her eyes with his onyx ones, gauging her reaction…"we're not over. We are just beginning Sakura"
Sasuke laid her down in her sleeping bag and zipped her up before moving to his own and climbing in and zipping it up. He knew there was time to gain her trust back. He would work hard to earn it and her love.
The following morning found Sakura had cooked breakfast somehow, Sasuke would never know how she did it without a fireball jutsu. He took the plate gratefully and dug in. After breakfast they travelled the rest of the way to Suna. Sakura and Sasuke headed straight for the studio.
Upon entering Matsuri crushed Sakura in a hug…"SAKURA! I wondered when we would see your beautiful face again. We missed you, Gaara will be happy to see you again. He is in his office." Sakura smiled and headed up the stairs with Sasuke behind her, stopping at the door she knocked and entered.
Gaara looked up and smiled, "Sakura how are you?" he stood and moved around his desk to hug her. "How is everything? Come to try music out have you?" He laughed as she smiled. "I have an empty studio set up. I also have the copy of a new song and the lyrics are in the room for you. So we are ready when you are."
Sakura entered the empty room and stood before the microphone and opened the book before putting the headphones on her ears. She heard the music but for some reason was unable to sing the song. "I'm sorry Gaara but I just can't" Sakura fled the room and ran down the stairs before Sasuke caught up to her and pulled her into an empty alleyway and held her close.
"Sakura, it's ok. What happened? I thought you wanted this…" She shook her head no and cried into his shirt. Sasuke would wait till she calmed down before pressing for answers, "Come, let us get a hotel room where you can relax and calm down." Sakura followed Sasuke as he paid for a room and pulled her along shutting the door behind them.
"It was something my mother always wanted to see and she will never get the chance. It is my fault she died Sasuke. I made her promise to be back to see my recording on time and in her rush to complete her mission she was killed, my father got distracted by that and he was killed also." Sasuke pulled her close and held her tight. Her remembered the pain of seeing his own family's death and did not want that for Sakura.
"Sakura, your mother would not have wanted for you to give up on your dream, you have a beautiful voice and you should use it the way she would have been proud of you to. I have a poem I wrote when I was 12 and back in our genin days. It might not be anything but it may help you, I wrote it to cope with the death of my own mother." He fished around in his back pack and dug out an envelope and handed it to her. "You are welcome to have it."
Sakura opened it and read it before placing it back in the envelope. "It is beautiful Sasuke, I think I will sing this one. Sakura took a shower and came back to find him asleep, she smiled and climbed into her own bed and fell asleep also.