Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
XxXxX
Ten years had passed since Uchiha Sasuke decided to permanently walk out the doors of Konohagakure, even after a failed (and a rather desperate) attempt of his 'former teammate' to convince him otherwise. He was aware of the consequences regarding his choice and knew what he would become to his former home once he leaves. Even so, he urged on in his quest for power so that he can defeat his infamous brother, the one who deprived him of his right to have a complete family and a normal life.
Right outside those doors were the Sound Five, tasked by Orochimaru to fetch his lovely, newly prized possession.
And he never looked back.
However, even if he did not look back, the past kept on following him. Naruto, promising a weeping Sakura that he would return Sasuke to Konoha, relentlessly pursued his best friend along with his comrades in rookie nine. They supported Naruto in his endeavor, even if some of them thought that the Uchiha survivor was already a lost cause.
XxXxXxX
Naruto, who became a full pledged ANBU along with most of the rookie nine, was walking with his team on the path leading to Konoha. They were hushed and pensive and the only sounds that they could hear were their blue sandals stepping and scraping against the dirt. In the middle of the group was a tall man, handcuffed with chakra inhibiting chains with long disheveled raven hair and eyes that were as black as onyx.
Uchiha Sasuke was finally able to defeat his brother (who apparently had a chronic illness) and killed Orochimaru after he found out that his 'master' had other plans in mind for him. Now that he had fulfilled his life long goal, he decided to come back home despite his mind telling him not to do so. Actually, he didn't care if he will be welcomed or not. All he cared about was coming home and probably fix what remains of the Uchiha Manor…that is, if the Godaime decides not to imprison him, which is somewhat an unlikely thought. It wouldn't hurt to hope though.
But he knew one thing for sure: Judging from the offenses that he did against Konoha throughout the years, he's in for heaps and heaps of trouble. It's surprising that they didn't kill him yet.
Seeing the twenty two year old Naruto, Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba came as a shock to him. Of course, their features and personalities became more mature and defined but he could still see that some of their habits were still there. Naruto was slowly becoming more and more similar to the Yondaime, which meant that he was growing more handsome, much to Shikamaru and the other's dismay. He knew, because the Yondaime has a framed picture that hung on one of the hallways inside the Ninja Academy. Naruto is still the same, but not as loud and as obnoxious as before (thankfully). Now, even if he jokes around, he maintains this certain aura around him making others feel that they should really take him seriously. Chouji was still a heavy eater and Kiba is still…well, Kiba. Shikamaru was like a yawning machine and despite his intelligence; he was still as lazy as ever.
The four were sent to retrieve Sasuke under the Godaime's orders. In fact, Naruto and his team would've left even without the order, but still, for formalities' sake. However, in this occasion, Sasuke willingly accepted them and went off without a fight much to the four men's puzzlement and relief. Up until today, Naruto refused to talk to the Uchiha prodigy. Sasuke didn't have much of a problem with it though and he somehow had an idea behind his …err…friend's silence.
Even with his long uncut and tousled raven hair, one could still see that Sasuke preserved his handsome features. His onyx eyes are as intense as ever and his once pale skin is now smeared with a little bit of tan due to his intensive training. Like the others, his body became more toned and defined and he replaced his Orochimaru-like garb with a simple Black shirt that had an Uchiha symbol printed at the back and a pair of cargo pants.
"Damn, I'm hungry." Chouji groaned out of the blue as he quickly moved his knapsack so that he could rummage through it, and found a bag of potato chips in a matter of seconds. He closed the zipper and opened the bag expertly, and soon, the group's silence was drowned by his incessant gobbling and chewing.
Shikamaru just sighed and shook his head while everyone else remained quiet behind their ANBU masks. Chouji was always annoyed with their mask and if they aren't battling, he usually places it at the side of his head stating that there was no need to hide if there aren't any enemies. Besides, it interferes with his eating.
"I wonder…" Kiba spoke after a few minutes. When he did, everyone's attention turned towards him. "Is it the end of the world today?"
"Ry (Why)?" Chouji inquired with his mouth full, splattering a few specs of chips in the process.
Kiba jerked his chin to Naruto's direction.
"Well, Naruto's quiet for the first time in twenty-two-years of his life." Kiba remarked as he slipped his mask up making it rest atop his head. On his lips was a mocking smile and Sasuke could tell that Naruto just rolled his eyes. "I thought that he couldn't stand to keep quiet even for five minutes."
"I'm not THAT noisy, baka." Naruto spat with a huff. Sure, he could be quiet…but for thirty minutes straight? Something is definitely wrong. "I'm just bothered."
Shikamaru took off his mask as well and placed it on the side of his head. "Hinata…right?" He asked nonchalantly while he fixed the mask's position. When he was done, he placed his hands behind his head and spared the fox boy a glance. He knew he was right, because Naruto was quiet once again and his cheeks were laced with a little bit of red.
They had been on this journey for three days now and while they were camping, Shikamaru told Sasuke regarding Naruto and Hinata's relationship…Which didn't really surprise him. Hinata's affections for him weren't exactly a secret and he wondered why it took such a long time for Naruto to notice her.
But what perks up his curiosity the most is why the four of them refused to talk about their other teammate, the pink-haired Haruno Sakura. Whenever Sasuke asks something about her, they would either change the topic or keep quiet. Chouji just told him that Sakura changed, and that's about it.
'Changed…? How much?'
Sasuke was too busy dwelling in his own thoughts that he was only half listening to the ongoing conversation about Naruto's girl friend.
"Well… we've been gone for a very long time. She has grown for sure…maybe even stronger. She's been hanging out with Sakura since we left. That's saying something." Kiba replied, mentioning Sakura's name for the first time in days. "And those boobs…" His voice trailed off, his expression dreamy.
Naruto was quick to respond and bonked him in the head. "OW!"
"Stop saying those things about Hinata-chan!" Naruto scolded him, giving him a death glare while his face was bright red in embarrassment. Seeing his reaction, Chouji and Shikamaru's eyes turned into slits and an amused smirk played on their lips.
"Why Naruto? Haven't you noticed?" Chouji asked sheepishly while his right hand continued to dig inside the bag of chips. "I mean, she has the most gifted—"he was cut short when Naruto hit him in the head as well. "UWAH~! That hurts!"
"I told you, stop saying those kinds of things!" Naruto's face was as red as a lobster and his efforts to silence his teammates only backfired. Seeing their small spat amused Sasuke a little bit and somehow made him feel nostalgic. Silently, he raised his hands (he is handcuffed, remember?) to scratch his cheek and looked down, kicking a pebble that was on his way.
Sakura…
Shikamaru and Kiba also told him that she had become an excellent medical-nin and that she greatly excelled in her ninja skills, earning the respect of all the citizens in Konoha and at the same time garnering a new nickname: Sakura-hime. They started calling her that a few years ago when she passed the ANBU exams and when she took over during Tsunade's two month absence. Naruto became an ANBU a year after her, because he spent most of his time outside Konoha, both for mission and training purposes.
They also narrated that Sakura had become a very beautiful woman and is now immensely popular amongst the male population. She began to have numerous suitors and some of them even came to Konoha just to ask her hand in marriage. Among those suitors was the handsomest bachelor in the village: The Genius Hyuuga Neji.
This piece of information appalled Sasuke as the image of Neji and Sakura holding hands instantly popped in his mind. It was just weird… seeing that she and Neji hardly talked when they were young. However, Chouji also added that they have been together for about a year now and still going strong. The people even thought that they were perfect for each other.
When Sakura was at her lowest, it was Neji who helped her stand up again (Sasuke didn't know WHEN Neji began to care). Neji was well aware that Sasuke will always have a part of her heart (Kiba and the others left this out of their conversation) but he still chose to pursue her. It was until such time that Sakura fell for him as well and slowly, she went back to the chirpy, exuberant Sakura that they once knew. Neji mended the wounds that Sasuke had inflicted on her many years ago and now, they are happy as ever.
With a silent sigh, Sasuke gazed at the now darkened sky.
XxXxXxX
Sakura jumped around the forest as she made her way home. It was a rough day of training in which she started at 1 PM until seven in the evening. She was exhausted and her mint eyes strained to see more clearly because of the lack of light in the forest. Her body was sweaty and dirty and she constantly imagined herself taking a wonderful, aromatic hot bath.
While she was busy making her way home (and imagining), something fell unto Sakura's nose as she stopped and landed swiftly one huge tree branch.
"It's snowing?" She whispered and immediately looked up, one hand holding onto the humungous tree branch to maintain her balance. It was then that she saw tiny snowflakes coming down from the sky symbolizing the arrival of the winter season. Next to spring, she loved the winter season. Sakura grinned and leaped off once again, happy that winter is finally here and that she could see lights from afar.
'Almost there.'
'Hurry up dammit. I wanna take a bath.' Inner Sakura raged with one fist in the air. Sakura rolled her eyes.
'Please don't ruin my good vibes. I'm almost there, so shut up will you?'
Much to her relief and surprise, her inner self obeyed and kept quiet. Sakura immersed herself in silence once more as she relished in the feel of the cold wintery air against her face.
"Neji! What the hell are you doing! Why did you bring me here?"
Sakura immediately came to a halt and her sudden stop almost made her topple off a branch. Luckily, she was able to get hold of the tree bark and maintained her balance.
'That voice seems familiar… and Neji?'
Still and motionless, Sakura instinctively repressed her chakra as she strained her ears to try and hear more clearly. While listening, she closed her eyes to concentrate so that she could detect any chakra within a twenty meter radius.
True, she could sense Neji but the other one came more of a shock to her.
'…Tenten? What is she doing here with Neji?'
The revelation made her furrow her eyebrows as Sakura decided to jump off to try and see what the ruckus was all about. Once she did she furtively walked through the forest before finding a clearing that was illuminated by fireflies. Afraid that she might be exposed, she hid behind the largest tree nearby and peeked.
'You're like a peeping tom right now.'
'Shut up.'
"Neji!" She heard Tenten gasp as she tried to move closer to the two. It seems that they were the only ones there, since she could not sense any more chakras around.
Later, she heard their breathing getting heavier and she slowly felt something lodging in her throat. Sakura didn't even notice that she wasn't breathing anymore. She wanted to expose herself and demand what the hell was going on, but part of her told her to just hide and watch.
"I love you." The deep voice that she has grown all too familiar with sounded and Sakura's knees instantly weakened. However, she held on to the tree bark as if her life depended on it while she continued to eavesdrop. "I love you." He repeated.
'Neji?... What's going on?' Despite the obvious, Sakura still refused to believe what was happening and chose to stay.
"But Neji! What about Sakura?" Tenten hissed back at him with fury. "Do you have any idea what you're doing right now? What you are doing to her?"
"Tenten… you know that we have been together since we were young." Neji replied in a surprisingly calm voice, hurting Sakura even more. "I know that you held affections for me since from the start…and I did too."
'Run Sakura.' Her mind screamed but Sakura shook her head. Tears were now falling from her wide jade eyes as she clasped a hand around her mouth to silence the sobs. 'Run. Now. Please…'
Her body shook in silence and that familiar gnawing pain, the one that she thought she would never feel again, began to crawl within her system, slowly eating her from the inside.
She could see a tear strained Tenten looking away, affirming Neji's words. Neji was pinning her hands against the tree and his back was facing her. Sakura could see his long smooth hair glinting beneath the light of the fireflies.
"Don't do this Neji… please." Tenten whispered desperately and she saw Neji raising his head. "I thought you and Sakura are happy. Why did you ask her out in the first place?"
"I did. I love Sakura… I comforted her because I saw her in so much pain and I was the only one who was in the Academy."
Flashback
Sakura sat on one of the swings located inside the Konoha Academy. She held onto the chains and lazily swayed herself, while tears continuously were streaming down her face. It was a free day, so there weren't any students around. Or so she thought.
"Sakura-san?" A voice sounded and Sakura immediately wiped her tears using the back of her hand before looking up. It was Hyuuga Neji, his white milky eyes gazing at her while he held what seemed like a folder on his right hand. He was only a few feet away from her. "…Are you okay?"
Sakura wanted to laugh at his question. "Are you being sarcastic or what?" She snapped, surprising Neji in the process. True enough, he thought Sakura was pretty but he never talked to her unless necessary. But right now, he realized he knew what Lee meant about seeing girls cry.
"Um, no. I wasn't." Before he could even stop himself, he sat down on the swing next to hers. He knew he was being out of character, which was baffling Sakura but he just continued whatever the hell he was doing. It was too late to stop now anyway. "I…can listen… if you want to that is."
Sakura was uncertain at first. Neji knew that the kunoichi had all the right to be suspicious of him, especially when he's acting all caring and concerned. It was as if Sakura was waiting for him to say 'just joking!'. But when he didn't, Sakura took a very deep breath and began to rant about her thoughts regarding Sasuke and Naruto, her hurts and such. Neji didn't say anything and just listened.
That was where it all began.
End of Flashback
"Yes, I love her." Neji sighed deeply. "But even if I was with her… I constantly think about you. For our first months together I thought it would just disappear… but no… whenever I kiss her I think of you. Whenever I hug her I imagine that it was you."
Tears were falling from her eyes like rain and Sakura took a few steps backwards, her head shaking a bit as her trembling lips continued to whisper 'no'. Her legs felt weak, she felt like she was suffocating and she wanted to escape.
So she ran.
The agony that was eating her was devastating. As she ran, she tried to pump as much energy as she could in her legs while she continued to cry. Her running was sloppy and the cold air, which she once loved, made things worse. She didn't know how long she ran or how far, but she didn't care. All she cared about was to escape.
But when she felt like energy has fully escaped her system and that her muscles were crying out in pain, Sakura stopped and looked up. She was out of breath and crying, which proved to be quite a task and realized that she was already in town. People nearby were staring at her and Sakura did what was most reasonable: slip on her phoenix mask.
"Sakura-hime…are you alright?" A small girl gazed at her with her wide innocent honey colored eyes. Sakura gazed at her and gave a silent nod, before patting the girl in the head and left.
Sluggishly, she walked through Konoha with no particular destination in mind. If you looked closely, you can see tears falling down her chin. Sakura felt like a zombie, her mind in a daze and her body not her own.
'Bastards.' She thought as the images of Neji and Sasuke appeared in her mind. 'Cold-hearted bastards.'
She couldn't bear another major heart break… first Sasuke… then Neji… both of them betrayed her… both of them broke her heart, and maybe even stepped on it, and tore it into a million pieces, so that she may be unable to recover.
It was just too much for her…
How could Neji, the man she trusted her heart with… would betray her like this?
Sakura looked up at the sky.
'Someone save me from the hell I'm in.'
XxXxXxX
Sakura reached her apartment; mask still on and her body still shaking. She had stopped crying a few minutes ago and as she opened the door, she spared no time in taking off her mask. As she closed it with a slam, she tossed the keys on a nearby glass basin and began stripping while making her way to the bathroom.
Once she was in, she looked at her reflection in the glass mirror. The young girl from before had all the right to question her well being. She looked horrible. Puffy eyes, black tears due to the washed out mascara and disheveled hair. Due to a sudden burst of anger, she punched the mirror, earning her another wound: bloody knuckles.
"F***!" She cursed as broken parts of the glass began to fall. Sakura took in a sharp breath and decided to open the faucet and slipped in the tub, not waiting for it to fill. When the water was about waist length, Sakura leaned her head on the rim, letting her bloody knuckles rest at the sides giving the water an eerie pinkish color.
Right now, she felt so numb. She couldn't even feel the pain from her hand or from her chest. It seems that she had cried more than enough tears because they now refused to come out. As she stared at her white ceiling, Sakura began to wonder what she did in order to deserve this kind of treatment.
'He saw Tenten in me huh.'
XxxXxxx
It was already morning and finally, Naruto and his team were able to reach the glorious gates of Konoha. Appearance wise, nothing much seems to have changed and Sasuke saw Naruto looking at him. His gaze made Sasuke to raise both of his eyebrows.
"We're here." Shikamaru said, stating the obvious as he sighed in relief. The two Jounins that were guarding the gates rose from their seats and went to greet them, except Sasuke of course. The Uchiha could see the amount of respect Naruto had earned from them by the way they greeted him. However, it did not escape the fact that they gave Sasuke some pretty nasty glares.
Meanwhile, in the midst of the numerous congratulations and greetings, they heard a shrill female scream. They turned to look at who it was, but they didn't seem surprised at all.
Shikamaru sighed, closed his eyes, opened his arms, smiled and readied himself for the impact.
BAM!
And they landed on the ground with an over-hyperactive blonde on top of him.
"Shika-kun!" Ino piped out happily as she hugged him tight. Shikamaru opened his eyes and hugged her back, not even caring if they were hugging on the ground. Sasuke turned his head a bit to see Naruto and Hinata hugging as well, wherein a few seconds later the fox boy stole a kiss from her lips making the Hyuuga heiress giggle.
They really have changed.
"Hey, where are the others?" Sasuke heard Naruto ask Hinata.
"I think Neji-san's at the ANBU office while Sakura-chan is in the hospital. They would meet you guys soon…maybe on the Hokage's office." Hinata replied automatically. Sasuke noticed that she wasn't stuttering anymore, much to his relief.
"Welcome back Uchiha." Ino, who was now off the ground and helping his boyfriend up, greeted him with her voice dripping with venom. She hated the Uchiha ever since she knew the story about Sakura trying to stop him. Hinata was the one kind to him though. And after their small talk, they headed off to the Hokage's office so that they would know Sasuke's punishment.
But before they could even have another step, Sasuke saw something from afar that made him stop.
A pink-haired ANBU wearing a mask was staring directly at him.
"Naruto." Sasuke called in a low voice while retaining his gaze at the kunoichi. His call slightly surprised Naruto because he and Sasuke refused to talk to each other during the entire course of the journey. He turned to look at him as Sasuke raised his hands so that he could point at something …or rather someone from afar. They all followed the direction his index finger was pointing at.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto gasped instantaneously, waving both of his hands even if he had already caught her complete attention. True, Sakura may be looking at them but her body was facing the other direction. It gave the impression that she was frozen right on the spot.
When Naruto realized that she wasn't moving, he slowly let go of Hinata's hand and ran towards the poor girl…err…woman.
Sakura opened her arms and received Naruto, then hugged him as tightly as she could. She wanted someone to lean on, to hug, to talk to and it seems God has answered her prayer. "Naruto…" She whispered with longing, her voice muffled due to her mask. "I missed you…so much."
"Eh? No need to sound so sad Sakura-chan…" Naruto replied cheerfully as he pulled away and gazed at her in arm's length. After a few seconds, he began removing her mask to expose Sakura's face. "I'm home after all." He added with a wink. Sakura, with her puffy eyes gone, smiled in return. She wanted to act as cheerful as possible for his sake. She didn't want to spoil his mood.
"Look! I fulfilled my promise to you! Teme's home!"
Sakura turned her head towards the gate's direction and saw Uchiha Sasuke, handcuffed and looking quite worn, fatigued and wary. Behind his long hair, his onyx eyes were staring back at her and instead of running to his arms like what he somewhat anticipated, Sakura just stared right at him (which was a more expected reaction).
She gave him a nod and Sasuke, from afar, nodded back.
"Sakura-chan? Aren't you happy that he's back?" Naruto asked, disappointed at her lack of reaction. She was somewhat hoping for Sakura to be bouncing up and down in happiness. Sakura however, shook her head.
"No no Naruto. I'm happy…"
Naruto looked unconvinced. "It sure doesn't seem like it."
"Believe me Naruto… I am… Something just came up. Let's go to Tsunade-sama's office before she gets mad of waiting." Sakura reassured him as she held his hand (Hinata doesn't mind). The warmth that was emanating from Naruto's hand was comforting and it made her feel…consoled. "Come on you guys. I can't wait to hear what happened to you on the mission."
And as they walked away, Sasuke just stood there, staring.
'Kiba and Shikamaru were right.'
XxxXxXx
Hokage Tower…
"Uchiha Sasuke, don't think that you're going to get away with this without any punishment." The Godaime warned him and Sasuke only returned it with a languid nod. She was blonde and had an overwhelmingly large bust which is something that he didn't expect at all. She looked too…feminine to be Hokage. Plus the red painted nails.
"I am ready for the punishment Hokage-sama." He said evenly. Sakura was currently busy talking with Naruto who was boasting how he defeated all those sound ninjas without even breaking a sweat. Because of this, Shikamaru rolled his eyes out of annoyance.
Tsunade nodded as Shizune gave her a blue scroll which she opened.
"First, do I need to read all of your offenses?"
Sasuke merely shook his head.
"Fine then. You're going to be under surveillance for two whole years and you would be stripped off your ninja rights temporarily. For about one year or so. After one year you are required to do 50 Class A-B missions and maybe even do some class S."
Sasuke didn't respond. Tsunade took his reaction as a form of agreement and put down the scroll before giving the prodigy a defiant stare.
"The elders wanted an execution punishment on you but someone convinced them that they should give you another chance. As for how that person did it, that remains a mystery." Tsunade said lazily, eyeing Sakura who was now leaning on the wall with her arms crossed. She looked like she was in deep thought. "Really…this is the lightest punishment that we could give you."
'I wonder what's bothering her.' The Godaime thought, somewhat worried for her.
Soon, the doors opened revealing Hyuuga Neji in his ANBU attire with the Jounin Tenten behind him. Sakura shifted from her position and turned her back on the group, facing the window instead. An action which Shikamaru and Sasuke noticed.
"Good morning Tsunade-sama." Both of them chorused. Neji spared Sakura a glance as she smiled and nodded, before turning away again to look at the scenery outside. Naruto was now too preoccupied with Hinata to notice, but the others were somewhat wary of the lack of reaction between the two.
"So… any complaints Uchiha?" Tsunade asked, breaking the ice. She then nodded to Kiba and Chouji as the two broke the handcuffs, which made Sasuke to inwardly sigh in relief. He could feel the chakra coming back into his system and the warmth that accompanied it.
"No." He replied, massaging his wrists.
"Good. Sakura, you have an operation to do in thirty minutes. Neji, there are some papers needed to be looked at in your office. Tenten, Lee called you earlier… he said something about training…"
Everyone nodded, except Tenten and Sasuke.
"Dismissed."
And the group walked out. Once they were outside the Tower, Naruto told everyone that they were going to have a celebration at the Ichiraku. Sasuke decided to pass (since he needed to fix himself up) and surprisingly, Sakura did so too.
"But why Sakura-chan?" Naruto questioned, looking worried. "Are you alright?"
Tenten and Neji looked at each other, then back at the kunoichi.
"Sakura." Neji said in a low tone as he reached down and intertwined his hand with hers. The way he called her name made Sakura ache. "Is something the matter?"
Sasuke swore he saw Sakura's hand twitch. Shikamaru was closely observing the couple while half listening to Ino.
Sakura looked up at him and smiled. She wanted to punch him so bad but decided against it. "I'm just feeling a little down, that's all." She replied, pointing to the snow that completely covered the ground. "Winter blues."
She could feel Neji's warmth through her hand and fingers and it hurt.
"Sakura-chan! You were the one who gave us the idea remember? You told me we're going to have a celebration once we arrive. Come on… don't act like a party pooper. Just for fifteen minutes and you could go!" Naruto said sprightly, smiling at her. Sakura looked at Hinata as she nodded encouragingly at her.
Sakura sighed, a wry smile playing on her lips."Oh alright. But for fifteen minutes only."
"YOSH!".
Sakura had to close her eyes to stop the tears that were coming and let out a cough instead. She felt Neji squeezing her hand once and she faked a smile at him.
"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, she nodded.
Sasuke stared at both of them, particularly at Sakura while ignoring the other's conversation. He noticed that something was wrong… something was missing… the way she acted around Neji… the way her hand shook when he reached out for her…
'Something happened. I know it.'