Title: 20 Years Too Late

Summary:A war story, a fantasy, a love that shouldn't be, 20 years to late for the right man, but just in time for the wrong one. (Not the kind of sasuxsaku you would expect. WARNING: character death (non suicide))

{Authors Note} hello my dearest readers! I know it has been quite a while since I have posted anything NEW and I hope you all enjoy this next one because I really love it!

DISCLAIMOR: I do not own naruto or any of its characters that I use, all are property of Masashi Kishmoto since 1999 .

Chapter 1

Died Beets

"Hello dear" he greeted rather rushed to his spouse of five years.

"Hello" she replied back with a lonely vacentness in her voice "What am I agreeing to today?"

And with that statement a large pile of forms were dropped on her desk with a single pen atop.

"Oh just legal agreements and concents to the land I will be buying" he edged her to hurry on "I'll fill you in on the rest tonight"

"You don't have to I was just curious about what it was I was signing for again, I would like to know from time to time you know." she said while giving a quick lookover to each form. She finished up and handed him back the pen.

"Oh and I will be late tonight hon, I have an important business deal to take care of." He said as he closed the door behind him and jogged down the stairs.

'of course you do, just like every other Friday you have to go and spend it getting your consumers drunk and having them sign these rediculos papers.' She sighed to herself.

Sakura was currently 23, married, and lonely. Her crush since the age of 12 had asked for her hand when they both turned 18, it was a dream come true, for anyone else who looked at her. The truth was he never loved her, it was all just for legal reasons and what made him look good. She was the head doctor in all of Konaha, smart and gorgeous she had it all. It was only natural that he would want to claim his prize as soon as possible, just like the business world he worked fast. The month after they were married they had been around the world and back visiting old war friends or acqentences from the war.

{flashback}

At the age of 14 Sasuke had been drafted in the Iwa/ Suna war as one of the hundreds of Konaha allies sent off to Suna. Sakura was also drafted as a military doctor, however neither knew of the others attachment to the war. Sakura was camped out in the middle of the Suna village so that she was at less of a risk of being bombed. Sasuke had been drafted out by the border between the two warring villages, in the heart of the action. Every few moments another bomb was going off, dirt was flying everywhere and the smell of burning and rotting meat could be smelled everywhere. The smoke in the air made it almost impossibly to see through and it burned the eyes and nostrils. Iwa had dispatched anbu that knew the "black rain" jutsu to cover the border. In the period of five hours the entire border and most of the ninja there were soaked with oil. On their retreat back those same anbu hid land minds and paper bombs in Suna's and Konaha's foxwholes. When they had returned to the foxwholes to take a rest they bombs were detonated and the oil had been lit. People were burning and no water could put it out, only spread the oil more. The ninja fled the scene and took as many of the injured with them as they could. Once back in Suna they were taken to one of two hospitals, the first being for those in critical condition and were on the verge of death, and the second being for those who were already treated and needed to rest before being drafted out again.

Sakura was out in her doctors jacket following her mentor Tsunade. They weaved throughout the masses of injured solders and screamed out directions to amputate this, give them that, take them to room so and so for this or that. Some patients were deemed "untreatable" and were taken out to a lot far behind the hospital where they would die. For the families that lived in Suna, either their houses where taken over and they were left on the streets or they had been bombed and one or two family members if any lived on the streets and had to fight for themselves. No rations were passed out to those who were bomb victoms or forced out of their homes, so they stole what they could form the solders bases or farmers in the area. Many of the children who were orphaned when searching for the lots in back of the hospitals and stole the dog-tags off of solders. They would then run back to the ration patrol and claim that an older now dead solder was their father or uncle and needed their ration to deliver to them. Others collected many dog-tags and lighters, metal flasks and paperweights (slang for brass knuckles) and sold them to metal collectors or pawn shops for money for food.

It was on one of these occasions that Tsunade had seen a child run to a lot during a bomb raid when everyone else had run to a bomb shelter, she screamed at the child to come back but they kept going thinking that if they could make it before the bomb hit then they would claim all the metal goods that was on the dead solders.

"Sakura" she screamed "Afternoons and nights are the buissiest, all shrapnel in a patient must be removed and checked for poison, you know everything else right?"

A scared Sakura nodded her head.

"Okay then, take care and be careful" she said through a smile as she threw Sakura her doctors coat and ran to save the child.

"Goodbye Tsunade" Sakura whispered to herself as she watched Tsunade sprint the to the small child. She had scooped them up in her arms and dashed back to the nearest shelter, but she was too late. Only 10 yards away form the initial detenation she died, however her body made a great shield that protected most of the child. After the blast Sakura ran over and saw the child was only suffering form second degree burns and with careful bandaging and nurishment they would live.

Three months later the war had ended, the patients were all sent back home and the Suna and Konaha solders had marched triumphantly back into Suna. People were cheering and screaming, the streets were filled with jubilance, and families were reunighted with their loved ones. Sakura had found refuge with Temari her recently made war friend. They had met when her brother Kankuro was poisoned and was taken in for care at the hospital. It was not a known poison so the nurses knew not how to treat it. Just then Sakura had come darting in and pulled out most the poison and quickly created a remade. Since then Temari had aloud her to board at her home with her two brothers. Though Kankuro had just been taken in for treatment, Gaara was still on the front lines. Temari was sure that he was fine though, and was anxiously waiting his arrival when the troops came marching back in. She and Sakura had gone through the house and found old linen and clothes and died them with beets to look a bright purple. It stained the pot the fabric and even their hands. The two giggled with joy and squeezed the clothes dry. They pulled out a small jar of silver ink and a quill pen and wrote their names in the corner of each little cloth. Quickly they ran out to the open window in the main hallway and popped their heads out. Others from the apartments above them and across from the two girls were looking out and screaming with joy or calling out for their friends and family that were marching. A couple in the loft at the corner were shredding paper and pouring it out the window. Strips of yellow and green were sprawling through the air and shrouded the solders. Others soon began to sing and make more confetti. Temari and Sakura turned to each other and joined in the singing, they pulled out the strips of cloth and waved them through the air as they sang:

Joy to our troops marching to me,

Joy to our troops who kept us free,

Unwavering are their spirits,

Tough is their heart,

Our troops that do not fall or break apart.

When their arms grew weak and they were too tired to wave any longer the two set free the cloths and watched them fall to the solders. They walked back through the hall to the living room that they had converted to a medical area for Kankuro.

"Hows it look?" he asked as he lay on the couch.

"Oh Kankuro its beautiful! There's confetti and singing and cheering, the troops are marching in and everyone is so happy!" Temari replied.

"Have you spotted Gaara yet?" he sighed.

"Not yet but I'm sure he is down there" Sakura said on a happy note. "Would you like to see for yourself?" she asked with a wide smile.

"Nah. I'm fine right here but if one of you could turn on the radio that would be great." He said smugly.

Temari got up and pulled over a small black radio, as she turned the knob for the local station they were listening carefully.

Ant everyone is simple exstatic about the current situation here in Suna. Yes we can all safely say-bzzzzzzlzlzlzllzlllllzzzzzzm.

"Damn it died on us again!" Kankuro yelled.

"It was practically over anyway.." his sister replied.

The two once again left him there on the couch and walked back to the hallway window where they watched the last of the troops come in. The stayed straight in line as they continued to march up deeper into the village. They sighed to themselves as they watched the last of solders leave. The two clasped hands and went running out the door and down the stairs.

"Hey you guys?" Kankuro called, but no reply came "We have a wheelchair so the least you could to was INVITE ME!" he screamed to the walls and slumped back into the cushions.

{Authors Note} so yeah that was chapter 1, and I really like it so far. It is my first war themed story and I think I did okay so that's good. Um yeah just wanna say now so no one gets the wrong idea I am anti war but I felt it fit the story more if sakura was cheering. She is in no way pro war but just really happy its over so don't get the wrong idea… okay well thanks and keep reading k?