Ripple Away

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A/N: I don't own Naruto. This is a future fic where the characters are approximately ten years older. This means it's more or less an AU, with the timeline breaking off around issue 300 of the manga.

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"That should do it. Be more careful next time."

Sakura had lost count of the number of scoldings she had given to shinobi she had just released from intensive care. Nothing was more useless, but it was a hopeful thought, that there would be a next time. She watched Genma's scarred back as he pulled his shirt back on, and scribbled a few more notes on his chart, Shiranui Genma, released 5/12 – condition satisfactory, follow-up exam due, one week.

He nodded. "Thanks, doc," he said. Genma was walking upright and without any sign of pain. Remarkable, considering the spinal injury he had suffered a week ago, while doing a caravan escort for one of the northern Fire Country lords. A powerful missing-nin appeared among the attacking bandits, and Genma was the lucky nin who got the brunt of it.

Sakura saw him casually produce a long toothpick out of nowhere, and fix it at the corner of his mouth. Not unlike Ino's late sensei with his cigarettes, though definitely not as annoying in a hospital setting.

"I owe you one," he said. "Take you out sometime if you're interested." He grinned, his eyebrow cocked.

Scratch that, she thought. Much more annoying. And besides, wasn't he nearly forty? That was almost twice her age. Not that she was even looking. Idiot. But she had to be a professional even if he was trying to cross the invisible barrier between medic and patient.

She smiled, her face neutral. "Let me think about it. I'll see you in a week. Don't take on anything more intense than a C-rank for now, and stay off of the northern border patrols," she recommended. With all the recent unrest on the border, it was impossible to get a shinobi like him to sit still when there was action to be had. She didn't like to lead him on, but she could almost guarantee he'd be back for his exam.

Sakura distractedly cleaned up the examination room after he left, not waiting for the orderly to come in and do it. She knew there were three more patients who needed her attention, and then the inevitable paperwork, and no doubt some emergencies would crop up.

She felt as if she'd lived at the hospital for this past year. Everything important in her life seemed to spring from this place. She had taken over a good portion of the work Tsunade had previously handled, splitting the workload almost evenly with Shizune, they both had their own teams of trainees and were responsible for most of the difficult cases that came in.

Supposedly, this gave the Hokage more time for village issues. Sakura understood now that it was for the best that she remain in a central location, so that her considerable skills would easily be at the village's disposal. Sakura's skills were just as much in demand.

But encounters like this brief one with Genma had been becoming more frequent. The shinobi came in injured, were stuck in bed sometimes for weeks, and had time to be bored and flirt with the staff. She wasn't immune to their attentions. It was mostly the older nin, those who didn't seem to be as intimidated by her reputation.
How did they all know? Was it really that interesting to other people that she wasn't married or dating anyone?

It occurred to her that most of her friends from her chuunin days had paired off or gotten married. Ino and Chouji had had something of a shotgun wedding when they were seventeen, and not long after, Shikamaru had moved to Suna as a permanent liaison there, and married the Kazekage's sister. It had already been three years since Naruto had gotten his head out of his ass and proposed to Hinata. Sasuke had...

Sasuke had sent her a letter, asking her to meet him for dinner when he got back from his latest mission.

That meeting had been three weeks ago. She'd suspected what was coming. Known what he'd been planning since he'd been brought back to the village, his brother in the grave, eyes half-blind, his spirit as tattered as his clothes.

Had he only just gotten the nerve up to tell her, now that he couldn't turn back without a major loss of face? If he had to be a coward about something, why did it have to be this?

He'd beaten her to the restaurant, waiting at a table fidgeting with his hands. At first he couldn't look her in the face, his black eyes darting around the dim dining area as if looking for a way out. She wondered if Sasuke had even told Naruto yet. Though their friend might have found out another way.

"You look well," he said as she sat down. She heard herself say the same of him, and he did, though still a bit thin and shadowy in the eyes.

"I hope I'm not keeping you from anything." he said, noticing she was still wearing her white lab coat. Luckily, it didn't have any blood on it.

"No, I've got a few hours off. I have a special case coming in for treatment from a few villages away, but he's not due in until later tonight. And if nothing else comes up, I might even get a few hours of sleep." She grinned and sipped at her glass of water. He could stall all day for all she cared, as long as she got to see his face.

"Ah," he said. Sasuke had never been good at making small talk. The waiter came around to take their orders, before an uncomfortable silence had the chance to set in. Sasuke watched the man walk away, and said to her almost absently, "You're strong, Sakura. You know that, don't you? I don't like how Tsunade takes advantage of you."

She looked at him sharply, "What makes you think-"

Sasuke cut her off, as if realizing hadn't said what he'd actually intended to say, "Sakura," he said, and she noticed he was actually looking at her, his face conflicted. "I apologize, that was uncalled for. I am concerned though. I wouldn't be here if I didn't care about you."

She made a noise somewhere between a groan and a sigh. He was going to make it even worse wasn't he? He was going to be honest with her, and attempt to be kind. Why couldn't he just stab her to death and get it over with. Her lips were pressed in a thin line.

"I - I've kept you hanging since that day. I've had to face a lot of things and make some very difficult decisions. This is one of them." Sasuke said, They both knew exactly where this was leading, so she didn't hold back.

"Who is it?" she said calmly.

Sasuke's eyes widened, and he looked as if he'd have been more comfortable if she'd broken out crying, something she might have done a few years ago. Between Tsunade and the battles against Akatsuki and Uchiha Madara, her backbone had grown quite steely. "Who did you settle on?" And perhaps he'd also helped make her heart a bit colder.

Sasuke leaned back away from the table, looking away, running his hand through his unruly black hair, "Please remember I'm not thinking of you or me or anything except my family and of the village. Konoha needs the Uchiha to be strong again, and through this marriage I'm hoping to bring that about. Though it won't be for a few years yet, when she's of age," he said, as the waiter reappeared with a pair of glasses and a bottle of wine, pouring them each a pale measure. She hadn't even realized Sasuke had ordered it.

She waited.

He took a generous drink from his wineglass, "Hanabi, of the Hyuuga," he said.

Sakura was taken aback, "I thought she was betrothed to Neji," she said, swishing her wine around, and then taking a gulp. This was unexpected, but at least it was someone she knew of. Hinata's sister, so this would make Naruto and Sasuke brothers in all but blood. It had a certain element of irony to it.

"I approached her father earlier this year and he spoke with her of it. She agreed, and a contract has been drawn up. Neji was there and seemed indifferent, though he wished us well." He paused, chewing on his lower lip, "The Fifth has given her approval. She said to me that it would be advantageous for the Hyuuga since they're a bit inbred. I can't believe she said that."

Sakura was silent, and her body felt oddly limp. She wondered momentarily if Sasuke knew Neji had once nearly died because of his revenge trip against his brother.

Their meal came and they ate silently, their eyes meeting, averting. She ate about half her salad, and helped Sasuke finish the bottle. They walked out together after he paid, and they wandered in the general direction of the hospital.

It was dark already, the lights and lanterns glowing softly. The air was cool and damp around them, and she could smell the wet pavement and the cigarette and food smell that still clung to them from the restaurant. She knew she should have left as soon as her first glass had been empty. She knew this was only going to make things harder.

Drag things out.

Things.

Who was really the coward here?

She felt his hand slide down her forearm and grasp for her hand. This was a first. Her inner voice screamed, 'OH MY GOD! He has got to be kidding! Oh my god!'

"Why now, Sasuke?" she said, trying to keep her jaw from clenching.

"I don't know."

"I don't have time for this anymore." She should be walking, running away from him. Every bit of common sense she had was telling her to leave him in the dust.

He pulled her around to face him, and she realized the wine must have gone to her head because she didn't resist. His eyes glittered in the sparse light, "I want to give you something. For what I owe you. What I think of seems patronizing though." He shook his head. He was still gripping her hand tightly.

She wasn't going to be her old pathetic self and say that he didn't need to give her anything. That his time was enough. She could just tell him to go, get away, but she'd been waiting too long for this conversation. It was going to be laid out here or not at all. And she wasn't going to cry. "Tell me."

"I'm giving you half of everything I own, some houses and property outside the village, some old scrolls. I can't take care of it all, and I don't want all of it going to the Hyuuga. Though you can do whatever you like with it." Sasuke searched her face.

She was staring, her mouth slightly open. This was too much. It would never be enough without its essential component. Just let it go. She should just let it go.

"What about the Hyuuga? Aren't they going to complain?" He could be so callous. She wondered if Hanabi had any idea of what she was getting into, binding herself to him. This insensitive jerk was going to break her heart. Sakura realized she was on her way to being part of it if she agreed to this.

"They already own half of the land in and around the village," he shrugged.

"You know I can't take something like that, Sasuke. That's the sort of thing you should give your wife, not your friend. Not your female friend. Everyone will think I'm your mistress. I don't want that, give it to Naruto if you just want to give it away," she said.

"I told you it was patronizing." Sasuke sighed, and bowed his head.

She reached up and touched his face. Well, he'd tried at least. She could feel slight stubble along the ridge of his jaw. Why did it have to be this way? She leaned her head against his chest and he snaked his free arm around her. They'd only been this close a few times.

Sasuke shifted, and he was really holding her, his hand rubbing her back in slow circles, "I really hate this," he said very quietly. "Not you, this feeling. I feel jealous when I see other guys around here look at you in a certain way, and then realize I don't have the right to feel jealous."

She laughed into his chest. "You're just making this worse, Sasuke."

"I don't really know why I'm doing it, either," he said. "I was just going to walk you back to work, and now I don't want you to leave. I don't understand it."

"I think you love me and you want to tell me right now," she said, her hand was in his hair, thick and silky and tangled.

"If I do, I have a really shitty way of showing it." he mumbled against her hair.

"True." This was more than she had expected to get. "And when you let me go, you know you can't hold me like this again."

"Yes." He held her there in the damp darkness for what seemed like a long time. No one she recognized had passed them, but that didn't mean much in a village full of shinobi.

She laughed sadly, "So who are all those guys you're jealous of. You can't just leave me hanging." Maybe it would be good for her to try to go on a few dates. What could it hurt? It couldn't hurt any worse than this.

"You're really going to ask me that?" he said, his head starting up. Sakura smiled, looking in his eyes. She hoped it made his guts twist the way hers were knotting themselves up.

"Tell me, or I'll break your arm," she said.

"Only the ones I approve of," he grumbled, hesitating. "Actually, I can only think of one that I approve of, barely, and that's only because I know him well enough that he would never hurt you."

"Well?"

Sasuke winced, as she pulled his hair a little. "Promise not to punch me."

"I promise. As long as it's not Lee," she said, giving him a stern look.

"Hell no. I was kind of thinking of Kakashi." he said.

"Eh? Since when?" her eyes were wide with disbelief. She never even thought such a thing was possible. She'd never seen him look at anything male or female that wasn't in one of his Icha Icha books, except in a fight. Though she knew perfectly well he used the books to make people think he wasn't paying attention.

He smirked, "Since you started showing off your legs."

She felt herself blush deeply, "You're joking."

"I wish I were. It's kind of weird. But he watches you every once in a while when he doesn't think you're looking. He gets that look in his eye like when he's considering whether or not to kill someone outright or wait until he has a better opening."

"I know that look, and I wish you hadn't told me because now I'm going to be watching for it," she whined and shook her head. That look was scary. He had to be joking. Kakashi was a pervert through and through. If Sasuke was right, he'd been entertaining dirty thoughts about her since she was fifteen.

Kakashi? The same man who had bodily thrown Sasuke and Naruto into a water tanks for nearly killing her during a fight long ago? The cheapskate who had managed to get a free lunch out of every single ninja in the village? That Kakashi? The shinobi whose favorite assassination method was to run at his target and punch a hole through them with lightning? That Kakashi? The dork who refused to take off his mask anywhere he went? That crazy bastard?

"You asked," he said, giving a crooked smile at her expression, and somehow it made her feel a bit better. The fact that Sasuke felt that he was allowed to smile in front of her was no small thing to her. She pulled away from him, and he let go, albeit with reluctance. This was it.

"I've got to go," Sakura said. "You know where I'll be." You know where I'll be, she thought, but I won't be waiting just for you.

As she picked up the chart for the next patient, she was sucked right back into the present by the name printed at the top.

Hatake Kakashi?