Summary: Looking back at all those memories that happened over 5 years ago, she stops to ponder how everything happened the way it did, as she still waited for him to return. Sakura Centric – SasuSaku, SasuNaru, NejiTen, ShikaTema/ShikaIno, NaruHina

Disclaimer: Me + Naruto me loosing a lot of money. Me no owney Naru-hime, then.

-:-:-:-:-

Replenishing Youth

By silverdragon994

Chapter One; Shoebox Classical

-:-:-:-:-

My parents have always known I loved to capture memories and store them in those heavy, over loaded scrap books. Currently, I have seventeen scrapbooks and counting – from the time that I was placed in team 7, to the time I have given birth to my first child, Karu. To think that the child resembled Sasuke Uchiha, the boy – no, man that I had fallen in love with the day I laid my cucumber colored eyes on him. He was just so deliciously endearing, but his attitude is a fixer-upper.

I might even wonder to myself if the father is Sasuke, but from all that Tsunade-sama keeps telling me, it's not so much as close as it to be Sasuke. My memories have been scattered and shattered around in my brain from that near-death experience I lived through. It happened not so long ago, as I feel that's the case, before Karu-chan was even developed, or even a fetus in my womb.

Which brings me to the predictions that Neji and Tenten – very, very dear friends of mine – are going to have five children this summer, or six on account of Ten-chan having twins (Tsunade-sama has been gazing at her stomach every so often, making sure that it will be twins). Tenten has always been a good-sport about things, never complaining, never whining; but of course that should be Neji's job then.

It surprised me when he proposed to Tenten after all of Konohagakure knew very well that she was steady with Lee-kun. Knowing the very fact that Lee had loved me, made me weep tears of progressed depression and unfathomable happiness for them, and myself for some reason. If that made any sense at all…

Everyone knew that Ten-chan had a "thing" for Neji, and he was so oblivious to her feelings for him, that until the moment that Ino told him that Lee was planning on proposing to her, that Hyuuga boy leaped from his seat; blazing angry and annoyed. Mostly by the fact that he was proposing to her that evening as well. Somehow, in his little Neji world, he just missed the fact that Tenten was dating Lee, but all that that boy had mustered in his mind was to find her first.

It might as well been true from the rumors Ino had spread that Neji had labeled Tenten as "his" from the second he laid his eyes on her. I didn't believe it.

Until I did see it with my own eyes when I was out with Sasuke that nightfall at the same restaurant when Neji barged in on the couple's date. As fast as he could, he jumped and hopped past any object in his way and eventually turned the whole place around. "Crazy in love," as some would call it, since that was never behavior anywhere.

Though pushing mass amounts of people out of his way, he finally found them and stopped Lee before it was too late. He got on one knee…came up with a small speech…and proposed.

The crowds (which became an audience quite rapidly) watched intently from the position that Neji had pushed them there. And they glared…and glared…and glared…until Tenten muttered a gasp under her astonished breath.

Lee was watching in disappointment as Tenten managed to scramble out a sharp and crisp, "H-hai." Dumbfounded, Sasuke and I also watched and the second she whispered that h, I clapped and cheered as loudly as I could.

I was the first to. Everyone quickly followed as Lee's frown disappeared into a toothy grin.

He was happy for them, I could tell. He always wanted them two to get married. While everyone was applauding, I remember Neji sweeping Ten-chan into his arms and spinning her around, melting his lips with hers as their first kiss as an engaged couple.

Before the month ended, Tenten announced she was pregnant. Smooth Neji, very smooth. Getting your fiancée pregnant before you get married – but all in all, I'm proud of them; both Tenten and Neji. I have never seen such beautiful children in my life, besides my own. And they, now, as married, hard-working parents, always try to help out with Karu and sometimes myself, from going insane.

Then Shikamaru suddenly vanishes into Konoha again from Sunagakure, with his girlfriend, Temari. I had always expected him to hook up with Ino, but somehow while being occupied in Suna, he lost contact with Ino-seme and they stopped talking.

Shikamaru was sent away to Suna to help out Gaara in rebuilding some parts of the village from the attacks of Otogakure. Since Shikamaru is one of the nation's brilliant minds, he supported the cause – only because he wanted to revisit the place and see Temari again. She was beautiful in his eyes, and she is, literally, a walking beauty goddess. Lacking an attractive personality though, she makes up for it with her body – and mostly her hips and breasts. She flaunts them more than our Hokage, and she's got the biggest knockers I've ever seen. All in all, Shikamaru's done a well job with pleasing Temari, and mostly Gaara.

I can't help but feel sorry for Ino since she's had some "feelings" for Shikamaru since the preliminaries ad after. She would always brag about how lucky she is to have a smart mind on her team, and how awesome it is for him to treat her just the way she wants him to. He was just the go-lucky, laid back guy we all loved.

But since his arrival back, he's changed dramatically. There was a spring in his step and whenever he mentioned Ino was when she served his food at Ichiraku's – somehow, Ino-seme pinned a job at Ichiraku's Ramen Stand last summer and she was sure to keep it: it made good money – and when she would just stop by and give him some flowers for being lucky enough to land someone. Ino quit her job at the flower shop and let her younger sister, Amara, take over.

It's still the same flower shop except when you walk in, you don't smell that same sweet lavender perfume as you used to.

Shikamaru still watches the clouds, but this time when he invited me to cloud watch with him, all he talked about was how special Temari was, or how Temari styled her hair that way, or how Temari likes her eggs in the morning. It would usually be the same thing every time he said something about her.

Strangely, whenever she was around him, he never spoke about how lovely she is or whatnot. Maybe he's afraid she could leave him any moment and he would have to search for someone all over again. He's worried that if she does, Ino might ask if she would be able to go out or something. Now if this was the same Shikamaru two years ago, he would have pleasantly replied a yes. But now, at the age of eighteen, he's not sure that if he went out with her, if he would have the same feelings towards her as he did before.

I told him it was worth a shot, but he never listens anymore.

It pains me to say that Naruto is growing up. He's not the same cheerful ball of energy he was when he was twelve. Now that he claims that he killed Sasuke, he's been depressed and uncomfortable with everyone but Hinata, Neji and Tenten (being it that Tenten has moved into the compound to Neji).

I would never say this, but I miss that hyper child that he was a couple of years ago. He was just so happy and adorable. But now, he's a total mess and his dreams of becoming Hokage are eroding away slowly, as if sharp, large tidal waves crashing down on sea boulders.

Hinata pregnant, he's just making life more difficult for their growing family. Naruto might as well be bisexual, he told me once he loved Sasuke (maybe in the brotherly manner, but he only said he loved him). But beside that, Hinata's making up fables of how Naruto helps around with the baby and whatnot, but I know better.

He's too busy moping around to help the baby. He claims to be "lonely." Oh yea? I say that it's just absurd to say anything like that. The whole village loves him, is that not enough? Hinata loves him, most importantly and I keep telling him that he'll make an awesome father.

"Just look at Neji," I assured Naruto. "He helped Tenten with the babies almost all the time when not sleeping. Take an example out of him and make something into it with your child."

He would just reply, as always, "Neji is much greater than me. He knows what it means to care for a baby. I don't."

He must have not seen FATHER!Neji in the first stages right after birth.

Which reminds me of Karu and Sasuke. I really do think that Sasuke is the father, but he disappeared after I proclaimed I was pregnant two months after Tenten's announcement.

Karu-chan really does remind me of Sasuke, and sometimes it pains just to look at that innocence in her eyes and not tell her the truth. She's too young to be told the truth about anything and if I did tell her about anything the birds and the bees, for example she would ask questions. And questions make me anxiously nervous.

But just gazing into those wide, wonderment filled eyes rids me of any feeling but happiness.

-:-:-:-:-

Fin chapter one.

What did you think?

No reviews? No second chapter.

Flaming this fic? Well, looks like we're never going to be friends then.

You're goin' dooooown, bitch.

-:-:-:-:-

Next time: "Wait, wait…Neji, are you telling me that Tenten's going to have triplets?!" I shouted, trying to preserve energy for the further news. All Neji did was whimper in slight fear and crease his forehead.

"Does this look like three people can fit in her womb?"

……………………

"Sakura!"

I turned around to gaze at the person calling me. It was Shikamaru.

"Hai?" I smiled as wide as I could after hearing the wondrous pregnancy news. Shikamaru slowed from his running and leaned over to breath. He emitted words in random order.

"Naruto…(huff huff)…kunai…shuri(huff)ken…suicide…"

"NANI?!"