Some wounds time can't heal. Some things can't be fixed, ever. But sometimes the things we want time to heal are what we need to remember. I know feel blessed, and truly lucky to remember those around me and know until the day I die, I will love them.
Sakura sighed and shook her head. She threw the paper out and hit her head on the table. "That's not right either. Urgh!"
Sakura Haruno was just like any kunoichi. She was...
Okay, totally different, but she'd never admit that. She was the strongest kunoichi of her time, the apprentice of the godaime. She sang at a club, wrote music and lyrics, danced and performed for the town. She was a medic-nin and a diplomat, sent on various many missions and never home in Konoha long.
Today she was working on a speech she would be giving s the diplomat for Konoha to welcome the Otogakure and their truce with Konoha.
For many years we will travel, and we must all leave our homes. It is a difficult journey, and takes extreme strength and power to rise above the fear and cultural differences. But always we must remember that we are always welcome home, and always will our new allies be able to call Konoha their home as well.
She growled and ripped up the paper. "No!"
There was a knock on her door, and Sakura sighed. She was procrastinating, and she knew it, but she couldn't help it. She opened the door to reveal Naruto. The day must have ended, because it was a dark blue hue and only the lights around town shined.
"What?" she asked.
"Hey, Sak...I was wondering if I could crash here for the night," Naruto replied. He slurred his words a bit, and Sakura sighed. "Sakura?"
"Sure, Naruto. Just...remember not to go drinking without me again, okay?" she said, sighing.
Naruto smiled drunkenly and crashed straight on her couch, not even making it to his spare room. Sakura smiled and rolled her eyes, going back to brainstorming a speech.
Only five minutes later to give up and finish writing a report. Soon she moved on and worked on cleaning the house, anything to avoid the mundane act of speech-writing.
Sasuke breathed deep, and smirked. Soon...soon now he would be in Konoha.
Karin looked at him and sighed. He was such a perfect guy. She wondered if he ever noticed her. Surely he knew that she loved him. It was only a matter of time until she was asked to restore the Uchiha.
After all, no one else loved him as much as she did.
"Dude, I get why Suigetsu and I are here, but what's Karin doing here?" Juugo asked, bored.
Sasuke shrugged. "I thought we'd need a female diplomat. There are rumors that Konoha's diplomat is a girl. It'd look more political if we did."
Karin sighed and swooned. "See? Isn't Sasuke-kun so ingenious?"
Sasuke stiffened for a second, then shrugged it off. Sasuke-kun. He couldn't wait to see the young girl that used to call him that. He missed Sakura over the years, and soon he would see her.
"Dudes, we have company coming. Watch your backs," Suigetsu said, looking behind them and readying his sword.
They saw a man run past them, followed by three more, none taking any heed to the Oto-nin standing there. They ran straight towards Konoha and the Oto-nin looked at each other, wide-eyed.
But just as they were about to go save their new allies, something stopped the charging men.
"Wake up the voiceless! Wake up the revolution!" a guard on the tower yelled, smashing purple chakra down at the men, making them step back.
Someone yelled back, "We are alive tonight!"
It sounded feminine, and familiar to Sasuke. Suddenly he recognized it and smirked, running closer to see Sakura in action.
Sakura sighed, waking Naruto up and telling them they had a mission. He groaned and listened, hearing their code. He was the Voiceless, she was the Revolution.
"What's the mission?" he asked.
"I don't know. Let's go find out. They're attacking my town, and they're not getting away with it," Sakura said, pulling on her gloves.
"We come from Amegakure, you turd-wads!" one of the men yelled, a bit mad. "Let me speak to Sakura Haruno. She's expecting us¾we're the diplomats from Amegakure you twit!"
Sakura vaulted the wall and sighed, greeting the men. "Yoru-dono. It's good to see you all again. I'm sorry for the men. They were told to be on a strict watch for all people coming to Konoha unannounced."
She bowed low and smiled. "Forgive us, but I didn't know you were coming. We're having Otogakure diplomats visit soon. Is there something wrong?"
"No. Tsuande-sama just asked we come in time to celebrate your birthday. It was explained to us to be a huge celebration of the day you were born, and your eighteenth is extremely big," one of them said.
Sasuke sighed. So they weren't going to see a giant clash. For some reason he wasn't as interested if it wasn't about some kind of fight. Especially seeing Sakura fight. He hadn't seen the girl fight in years, if ever.
"Yes. Do you have birthdays in Rain?" she asked politely.
"No, which is why it would seem interesting. You are to perform some songs, are you not?" Yoru asked.
Sakura blushed, not noticing Sasuke and the "Oto diplomats" had arrived. "I do remember saying I would sing when you arrived," Sakura started, blushing. "I'm not fond of singing, but I will."
Yoru smiled and kissed her hand. "Arigatou, Sakura-san," he said.
Sasuke growled at the man. What the hell was he doing to his Sakura? Buddy better back up. Sasuke cleared his throat and gained Sakura's attention finally.
The world stopped, and for a second Sakura felt like she fainted. There Sasuke stood, after six, maybe seven years. He wore the Oto symbol, and Sakura couldn't help but feel a little disappointed he never came back to Konoha.
He grew up for sure, and Sakura saw Karin by his side. So, he got married. I wonder how soon the Uchiha will be restored, Sakura thought, sighing before bowing deep and smiling angelically. "Hi! You must be the Otogakure diplomats."
Sasuke nodded and drank Sakura in.
She got prettier, if that were even possible. She had a softer look to her face, and her body seemed like it belonged to a model. She seemed to be stronger now if she was sent to defend Konoha, and she had to be as smart as ever if she became the diplomat.
He looked at Sakura's eyes, and found even they had changed. Her emotions of love, happiness, mischief and innocence were gone. They changed to those of jaded jade, and he laughed inwardly at the irony of the sentence.
Gone was the Sakura he remembered, and in return was the girl he faintly remembered wrapped in a woman he'd love to know.
"We've been expecting you. Welcome to Konoha, I'm Sakura Haruno. I'm the diplomat of Konoha. Feel free to ask me anything you'd like, or come to be for any reason. I'm at your disposal. Both you and Amegakure," she said, smiling and bowing to the other party again. "Come, I'll show you to where you'll be staying."
"There's no need," Sasuke said, making her turn to him and recognize him. It surprised Sasuke that she seemed to recognize him, but pretended not to. "I'll be staying at the Uchiha Compound with the other diplomats. Tsunade-sama already agreed to me staying at my childhood home."
"Isn't he amazing?" Karin swooned again.
Juugo sighed and spun his finger around his ear, motioning towards Karin. Both Suigestu and Sakura started to laugh lightly, and caught each other. They looked at each other and smiled.
Damn, what the hell? Sasuke definitely didn't like this turn in events. Yes, he was glad she stopped smiling at that Yoru dude with his other male diplomats, but to start smiling at one of his? Damn!
Suddenly Naruto vaulted the wall and stood next to Sakura. "Voiceless here," he greeted.
Sakura sighed and slapped Naruto upside the head. "Baka, where have you been? You should already be sober from last night. These are the Amegakure diplomats, and these are the Otogakure diplo--"
Naruto saw Sasuke and gasped. "Teme! Sakura, Teme is back. He's here in Konoha. Alert the Hokage! The traitor's back!"
Sakura sighed and slapped her own head, then looked up at the sky. "Kami-sama, what ever did I do of all people to end up with people like this in my life? I'm a good person, I do good deeds, I barely do anything wrong."
Karin smirked and looked the competition up and down. No one else saw, but she noticed the second Sasuke started to eye the pink-shit in front of her.
She got nothing on me. She has nothing Sasuke could possibly want, she decided. She seems a bit ditsy, and she's definitely not the type Sasuke would associate with...ever. Sasuke's still all mine.
Eventually Sakura stopped her speech to the gods, and bonked Naruto. "She must know that he's here...these are the diplomats from Otogakure. Do you ever listen to anything I say? Ever?"
Naruto smiled sheepishly and rubbed his head. "Only half of it. But why are you defending Sasuke? He's still a traitor. Think about what he did¾"
"Do you want me to make it so you can't have that family with Hinata you two are planning? Because I will," Sakura threatened, tightening her gloves.
Naruto whimpered and hid behind Sasuke. "Don't let her kill me," he pleaded, holding his arm tight.
Sakura sighed, then smiled brightly and walked the diplomats in. The village looked at them, then started to whisper when they recognized the Uchiha in the Oto symbol as opposed to their own.
Suddenly a young boy around five ran up to Sakura and leapt at her. "Saku-chan!" he squealed, diving into her open arms.
"Sakumo-kun," Sakura greeted, kissing his forehead. "How was your day with Chichi? Ready for a day with Haha?"
Father and mother. Sasuke froze. Was Sakura a mother? She made it sound like that was her child by the way she talked to it. It wasn't an it. She called the boy Sakumo. Sakumo...
"Hai! Demo, Saku-chan, Chichi wants to know...will you come eat with us?" Sakumo asked, pouting.
"Of course. How could I let my godson down?" she asked.
Sakumo smiled and got out of her arms racing towards Anko coming up behind them. "Haha! Saku-chan is coming to dinner tonight, she said!"
Anko laughed and smiled, picking up her son. "Is that so? I'd love to have another girl in the house. Between Sakumo, Kakashi and the perverts always visiting, I feel like I'm turning into a man, too--what's the Uchiha doing here?"
Sakumo Hatake looked at the man and smiled, wiggling out of his mother's arms. He stood in front of Sasuke and smiled wider before pointing at him. "I know you! You're famous! You broke Saku-chan's heart, and betrayed Konoha. Chichi talks about the person you could have been all the time."
Suddenly Sasuke felt a pain in his shin and looked down to see the little guy had kicked him with chakra. "You make Saku-chan cry at night, and you don't deserve her love. You better prove yourself to me, buddy."
Anko smirked, while Sakura covered her eyes in shame and hoped no one saw her blushing. How embarrassing could Sakumo get? She loved the twerp to death, but he'd really be the death of her.
"I beg your pardon for Sakumo's antics," Sakura said, bowing deeply when Anko took him away. "He's very passionate, just like his family."
Sasuke shrugged and walked on, thinking about the kid's words. He made Sakura cry, he broke her heart...he never saw those as the memorable traits. He always thought he'd be famous for betraying the town. It wasn't like Sakura was that great a shinobi...
Was she?
"Thank you for the wonderful day," Suigetsu said, bowing to Sakura as the Oto-nin made their way back to the compound two nights later. He sighed and put his hands behind his head as they walked. "Today was great, huh? Especially with Sakura-chan around."
Juugo snorted and put his hands behind his head. "I think everyone knows it's just because you like that diplomat...She's cute for a girl with pink hair. Not like a girl I know with red hair."
Karin sniffed at them, then turned to Sasuke. He had been stiff and even more distant all day when they were with Sakura. "I don't like her. She's ugly and she did something to Sasuke-kun. She's a witch."
Juugo and Suigetsu looked at each other and smirked. Suigetsu had realized that morning that Sasuke was in love with the girl. By noon he had Juugo on his side to help get them together. After all, the Uchiha had to be restored, it'd be "great politics" as Sasuke would call it, and as the leader of Oto he needed a wife.
"Wake up the voiceless! Wake up the revolution!" they heard someone yell, and froze. Was that a code?
"We are alive tonight!" they heard to people yell back. They instantly recognized Sakura's voice, and Sasuke's identified the other as Naruto. The men looked at each other, not knowing what to do.
"Sakura-chan, what's the mission?" they heard Naruto whine, coming up behind them. He looked tired and a little pissed. "It better be good. I was with Hinata eating ramen."
Sakura rolled her eyes and pulled her gloves on. "You think that sucks? I was just about to start training with Ino and TenTen. There better be someone I can punch this time, or I swear I will knock out the guards. Sakumo would be a better guard than them."
Naruto gulped, walking wide. Then he sighed. "You love that kid, huh? You treat him like a little brother. It's kind of cute...Are you giving him what Eiri didn't give you?"
Sasuke saw Sakura grip her hand tighter and then pull her gloves harder. Her voice was full of controlled rage, and he was a bit afraid. "Of course. That bastard had no reason to wreck my life. I don't want the same to ever happen to Sakumo."
"But that's silly. What are you going to do when Natsumi's older? She'll feel left out because you're always with her brother."
Sakura stopped right across from Sasuke on the other side of the street. He watched her shake, and she tightened her fist.
"Naruto--" Sakura started, mad.
"No, Sakura. You want to give him a better childhood than you had, but you can't do that without giving Natsumi the childhood you had. So just let it go and let the cards fall. Sakumo might not even be an ass like Eiri was."
"Naruto--" she tried again.
"No. You need to hear it. Your brother ruined your life, but at least you had him. And so what if you don't consider him your brother because he tried to sell you off after your parents died? He's still family. And you got your heart broken, but so will everyone. It just happened that--"
"Are you done yet?" Sakura yelled, spinning on him. "I'm tired of listening to you, and I don't need to hear how to run my life, because I've had to since I was seven, no matter what that foster mother thought. So just shut up, and leave the BINGO book dickhead out of it. Got it?"
Naruto nodded, Afraid of her, and walked off with her. Sasuke waited for more, but didn't get it. How odd he didn't know Sakura had a brother. He didn't know much about her, he realized.
Juugo whistled and clapped his hands once. "Damn, if she let her brother sell her off. I'd buy her just to bang her. Ne, Suigetsu?"
Sasuke glared at them and followed Sakura and Naruto, only to hear a giant scream and run to see what happened. He knew the others were following, and he got there in time to see a giant gash in Sakura's shoulder, part of her shirt ripped apart.
"Damn it, Eiri! This was my favorite shirt! I'm going to kill you, you friggin' traitorous bastard of a brother!" she yelled, pouring immense chakra to her hands.
"Like I'm scared," he retorted, levitating. He had red hair like Gaara and green eyes like Sakura. Eiri had darker skin than Sakura, but their was no denying they were brother and sister. "I didn't raise you to enjoy people, Sakura. You're weak if you think you can have loved ones and still be an avenger."
Sakura growled and kicked her legs up, levitating herself before rushing towards him in the air. "I raised myself, you bastard and I don't want to be an avenger. I want to be me!" she yelled, just as her brother rushed her.
As they fought, they conversed. Sasuke found it very interesting to watch. He had to admit, Sakura was an amazing fighter.
She'd live up to the Uchiha name. I think it's time to tell her, Sasuke decided.
Eiri blocked a punch and laughed. "Is that the best you can do, Sakura? I tortured our father and killed, I raped our mother and killed her. Don't you want to make it up to them?"
Sakura snorted and created a cross with her body, blocking his attack. "Don't remind me your an incestal pig. The only person I want to avenge is me. You ruined my friggin' childhood."
There was a bright glow around her and she screamed as she broke the cross. The light rushed forward and Sakura yelled, "Go! Ready, set, go! Go!"
"Shit!" Eiri yelled, running to the side.
Sasuke found Naruto, sitting off in a corner and sat next to him. "Dobe, what the hell is going on?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto sighed. "That's Sakura's brother, Eiri Haruno. He loved his mother as more than a mother, Oedipus complex, and he killed his father about it. He raped his mom in front of Sakura, then killed her for screaming out to her husband. Sakura was traumatized and she just let him get away with it for awhile.
"When she was seven, she had enough. He wanted to sell her off to somebody, and she flipped out and created her own kekkei genkai, her voice. She had the power in her to create the Oto-genkai. How cool is that?"
"Very cool, Naruto," he mumbled.
"Anyways, he beat her after that, and she lost it because she was afraid of using it. You've never heard her sing, ne? She was always afraid to...Once she was a bloody pulp, he decided she wasn't pretty enough to sell and left. If only he knew that nowadays practically every guy she meets has a wet dream about her."
Sasuke snorted. "So, how did he get custody of her if he killed his parents?"
The Uzumaki looked down at the ground and made swirls in the dirt with his finger like a child. "I told you. She was traumatized, Sasuke. When people asked her, she couldn't speak. Everyone treated her like she was slow. Eiri got away with the murders."
Now Sasuke was mad. "What?" he asked.
He shrugged and looked back at Sakura defeating Eiri with sound. Soon he could tell her happy birthday--somehow he had forgotten the whole day. And now it really would be happy for her.
Sasuke whacked Naruto and he sighed. "Eiri didn't go quietly. He was nineteen when Sakura was seven--easily overpowered her. But then he went to Hokage Tower and stole military scrolls. We were compromised, and he made his way to the BINGO books. Ever since Sakura's been intent on finishing him herself."
Sasuke nodded and feel pelting rain. He looked up, and didn't see a cloud in the sky. Strange...He heard Karin scream and the other men yell while he started to wipe it off. That's funny. It seemed warm...
Blood.
"Sakura, did you have to drench us in his gore?" Naruto yelled, walking over to her and seeing if she was okay. She was covered head to toe in blood, and she wasn't moving. "Sak, you okay?"
Sasuke wiped the blood off, and looked for what was left of Eiri...There's some brain matter...nope, that's an intestine. And there's his pancreas...or is that thing a lung? Now that's got to be brain, he thought to himself, walking over to Sakura.
"Until the day I die, I'll spill my heart for you, for you," he heard Sakura sing softly, looking at the spot Eiri no doubtably stood. "Until the day I die, I'll spill my heart for you, for you."
Sasuke knew this song. He softly sang the next stanza to her. "As the years go by, I race the clock with you. But if you died now, you know I'd die too." He kissed her on her bloodstained cheek and whispered the next verse of the stanza for emphasis. "I'd die too."
Sakura gasped and turned to look at Sasuke, who smiled and kissed her bloody lips. He thought he'd humor her and sing some more from the same band. He suddenly realized they same the same band they got their call from.
"Today will be the day to start rising up and fighting back, and from this moment on we will live our lives, with open hearts and open eyes."
He knew he sucked at singing, so he reverted to speaking it like poetry. He held her close and whispered it in her ear, making sure she knew it was just for her.
"Just keep pushing forward. We take control, we take control. Keep fighting onward. We take control, we take control. Keep pushing forward. We take control, we take control. And we will never step down."
"We won't fall or hesitate and from this rotting life we disengage. Can we strive to break away and stop wasting time on these insecurities?" she sang, looking at him like she just saw him for the first time.
"Just keep pushing forward. We take control, we take control. Keep fighting onward. We take control, we take control. Keep pushing forward. We take control, we take control. And we will never step down.
"Our time is now, our time is now, our time is now. We won't step down, no we won't step down. No we won't step down, no we won't step down. We won't step down. Because our world is waiting for us to live. Because our world is waiting for us to live.
"So right now just keep pushing forward. We take control, we take control. Keep fighting onward. We take control, we take control. Just keep pushing forward. We take control, we take control. Keep fighting onward. We take control, we take control. And we'll never step down.
Our time is now, our time is now, yeah," they sang in unison, Sakura not caring that Sasuke's voice was any less than par.Sakura started to cry, and suddenly he found her crying on him and he smiled at the innocence of the motion.
Karin, Juugo and Suigetsu walked over in time to hear his next words. Karin was sent into a fit, and the two pounded fists in celebration.
"Sakura, I love you. I did when we were kids, and I still love you covered in blood. I want you to help me restore the Uchiha. Would you please marry me?"
Sakura looked at him for a moment, and he was afraid she'd slug him, or even worse, she'd say no. But then she surprised him by smiling. "Yes. I'd love to."
Sasuke laughed and hugged her tight, spinning her around in the air. Finally, finally, he'd have the girl of his dreams. Was this a dream? He'd have the family he always wanted. Then he remembered something. He put her down and kissed her deep. "Sakura? Happy birthday," he said, pulling away.
She smiled and kissed him again. "Thank you, Sasuke. This was the best birthday ever," she said.
Naruto interrupted them. "Happy birthday, Saku-chan! You're finally eighteen. How does that feel? You're the youngest of us all."
Sakura sighed and smiled, hugging the dobe as well. "Not bad, Naruto. After all, I have Team Kakashi again...and I have my family, even if it has to be in Otogakure."
"Well, I don't know, Sakura," Sasuke said. "I wouldn't want to move you away from your home. I'll see what I can pull with our leader." He turned and called Suigetsu and Juugo. "You two are in charge of Oto. I need to work things out with the Hokage so that my future-wife and I can live in the town we were raised."
Karin screamed again and the two men smiled their own private smile and gave him the thumbs up. "You got it, chief!" they yelled.
He turned back to Sakura and smiled, kissing her. "See? It's good to be in tight with the leader," he teased.
"Hn. I love you, Sasuke," she said.
It hit Sasuke just then how lucky he was. He hadn't heard her say those words since they were twelve, and he relished them now. He kissed her forehead and held her tight to him, never wanting to let go.
"I love you, too, Sakura. I love you too. So much. So much it kills me."
"Hey, what about me?" Naruto yelled, teasing them as Hinata rushed to the gate to see him. "Hey, teme, I won, anyways..." He hugged Hinata and looked at his two best friends. "Damn, they didn't even hear me."