Two years after the fourth shinobi world war, everything seemed to be under control. No more severe danger caused by those Akatsuki lunatics. Konoha had been safer than ever. Rokudaime Hokage, Kakashi-sensei, tightened his grip on military service for adolescence in the village. Every single traitor and S-rank criminals were sentenced to more than what they deserved. The disciplinary in Konoha was increasing since my-former-ANBU sensei took over the reign. It had seemed to utterly frighten him as if he had to lose people he dearly loved, in this case the villagers, since both of his disciple siblings fallen in battle. Nohara Rin and Uchiha Obito.
It was three months after a journey to the moon for Hanabi Rescue Arc. I was standing in front of Naruto's apartment, attempting to knock the door yet I didn't have heart to wake Naruto up this early. He was always the second one to keep working hard. The first one was Lee. His training style was unbeatable in some way. Naruto must have come home late from training checking from the dull glow of hall lamp. I clutched on the food box wrapped in pale green cloth that I meant to give to Naruto. I had not had time to send him some decent food lately. I was smiling to myself before deciding to put it in front of the door and wrote some notes for him.
I continued walking around the main roads to savour fresh air of autumn morning. Everyone had started to do activities. I overheard someone was counting from five hundreds to its continuation. I looked up to stop my curiosity. It was Lee doing his vertical push-ups at his apartment balcony.
"Ohayou, Lee-san!" I yelled at him from the ground.
He seemed to notice my presence and eventually stopped doing push-ups. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Sakura-san!" He replied with his burning friendliness.
"Ganbatte, Lee-san!" I waved at him and continued walking.
After one hour of walking, I decided to come home and sat at my window to enjoy what people were doing across the street. I caught a glimpse of a girl with calf-length pale blonde hair linking her arm to a guy in black suit walking hand-in-hand cheerfully. That was inevitably Ino and her brand new boyfriend, Sai. Ino had been so madly head-over-heels in love with him since he got back to the village after rescuing Hanabi. Sai was adequately resembling Sasuke in some ways. He had let his fringe grow reaching the cheeks and I thought that's what made Ino get paralysed by him. She knew she would never get Sasuke, instead, she tried to make a move to Sai. He possessed warmer personality compared to Sasuke even though his expressions were sometimes ridiculous. That's why Ino was completely infatuated by him. Sai seemed to start loving Ino even more. Despite her loudness, Ino was the greatest friend you could ever have.
I turned to my bedside cabinet where I saw the first ever picture of Team Seven standing on it. Naruto's face was scrunching indicating his dislike on Sasuke's attitude at that time. Couldn't believe it was taken six years ago. How fast time went by. All of a sudden, my mind flashed on the massive event for next week. Naruto's wedding with Hinata! GODDAMN WEDDING! I just couldn't believe it somehow. The big dumbass in the academy from our generation would be the first to wed. He, who kept flirting with me all the time, was gonna be married to the girl whose feelings were never noticed by him. I...I still didn't believe it. Then, I remembered my conversation with Ino about it at dango shop a week ago.
"Sakura, do you think Naruto won't mess up the wedding ceremony with his silly words? I still don't understand why Hinata is gonna marry that dunderhead," complained Ino while munching her mitarashi.
"And I still don't understand why you don't understand what Hinata feels all this time. You've been experiencing in falling in love with cool guys including Sasuke-kun, Ino. You should know that," I scolded her back.
"Don't mind Sasuke-kun. Sai is much better than he is though. You, the one who has to concern, Sakura. Aren't you going to get married? Waiting for Sasuke-kun to get back surely will take longer time than expected. I know how you feel about him up till now. You have faith in him. But try don't push too hard before you hurt yourself."
Ino's words were like hundreds of kunai stabbing my chest in the darkness. I stared at the boy in blue shirt in the picture. My eyes were glistening with fresh tears, ready to continue their journey to my cheeks. Not one single day since Sasuke departed I underwent without missing him severely.
"Stop it, Sasuke-kun! Don't go! You know, I...I've always loved you all this time. You've made me become stronger than I used to be. You mean so much to me just please, stay here, Sasuke-kun!"
*flash*
"Sakura...arigatou."
*knock*
The suffocating breeze on the night when Sasuke decided to assemble with those Otogakure psychopaths had become the worst thing ever happened to me. Three years passed before we finally saw each other again in Orochimaru's hideout. He wore unzipped Uchiha white robe revealing his well-built torso. If only I had lost my mind, I could've let my back stabbed by him from burying my head onto his strong chest to release all these pains he had made me. But Naruto would be always there to block my way.
I had lost in my thoughts when suddenly my mother opened the door.
"Sakura?"
"Uhh? What's up, Kaa-san?"
"Naruto's here. Go see him."
I nodded and followed her to the living room. He was sitting with his hands on his lap holding two pieces of small paper.
"Ohayou, Sakura-chan. Come along with me to Ichiraku ramen!" He burst out before I could reply him, holding up those two coupons.
"Wait...b...but." He grabbed my hand and dragged me to ground floor after finally he stopped momentarily.
"Naruto, what it's all about?" I asked looking at him astonishedly.
"Sakura-chan, thank you for delivering breakfast this morning. It was good," he complemented with full enthusiasm.
"I'm glad you like it, Naruto! Sorry for not being around lately, knowing that you're quite busy preparing everything for your wedding. I think that should be the last meal box I gave to you as Hinata surely will cook much much more delicious food than you could ever imagine..."
"Sakura-chan..." His face suddenly turned crestfallen.
"Nani?"
"Just...listen to what I say." He stared at me so deeply this time. "I'm here to thank you for everything up until now. Consider this is the last date I have with you before I spend the rest of my life with Hinata. I know I've been acting like a jerk to you since we were in academy. Every endeavour I made to make you fall in love with me wouldn't stop you from longing for Sasuke. Eventually, I understand that I'm not the person that will complete the missing puzzle in your heart. It's still Sasuke. But I'd always be there to protect you no matter what. You're my best friend, Sakura-chan. I wouldn't have someone else to stand by my side to keep fighting. And thank you for making me realise that there is someone who always loves me with all her heart. Hinata. You two are the best ones that ever happened in my life." He squeezed my hand so tight that I nearly felt his pulse surging along with his chakra.
"Naruto...it's beyond my expectation that I would still keep longing for Sasuke until these days. Considering to what he had done to the village, I should've dismissed this feeling long long ago. But now I understand. Once a girl has fallen in love, she will never forget the one whom she truly loves."
Two weeks later...
Naruto and Hinata's wedding
"Uzumaki Naruto, will you accept Hyuuga Hinata as your lawfully wedded wife, for richer or poorer, for sickness and health, for the rest of your life?"
"I do..."
"Hyuuga Hinata, will you accept Uzumaki Naruto..."
"I...I do."
I let my tears flooded watching my best friend in his wedding. Both Naruto and Hinata had vowed for the rest of their lives in front of Tsunade-sama and everyone in this Konoha Great Hall. All my comrades were here to witness the beamed faces of their two comrades joining hands in holy matrimony. Except, Neji-san who had fallen in battle whose photograph was held by Hanabi. And...Sasuke-kun. I didn't know about his whereabouts at current time. I was sure he's there saving the world. It was almost a year since we saw each other at Konoha great gate before he was deployed by Kakashi-sensei to journey of redemption.
"You're leaving already? Tsunade-sama's just about to complete your prosthetic hand from Hashirama-sama's cells."
"I...I need to see it for myself how the world looks. All those things I've overlooked, I have a feeling I'd be able to see them better now. And if I miss this chance...I don't think another wil come. Plus there's a few things that have been bothering me."
"Wh..what...if I told you...that..I'd like...to come...to?"
"It's my road to redemption. You have nothing to do with my sins."
"Nothing to do...you say..."
*tap*
"I'll see you when I'm back. And thank you."
Would you ever tap my forehead affectionately once again? Would you ever come back, Sasuke-kun? These questions kept spinning in my head as if they were about to strangle me slowly to death. Not one single day I went through without missing you. Our childhood until teaming-up moments had strengthened this crisp love upon yours although we were not together anymore.
"Why are you taking me here, Hokage-sama?" I looked intensely at the afternoon blue sky after Kakashi-sensei's secretary asked me to meet him at the third training ground.
"I don't like to be called that way by you, anyway. You and Naruto are my exceptional subordinates." He concealed both of his hands behind his hokage robe whilst continuing walking to the main ground. "How are you, Sakura?"
"I'm...pretty fine, Hoka...I mean, Kakashi-sensei. How 'bout you? Still being surrounded with pile of paperwork?" I chuckled a little making an image of his stupid tired face in my head.
"To put it bluntly, being a Hokage is goddamn boring. But how could I refuse if the villagers have entrusted me to become one," he answered idly.
"Sensei, is there something you need to ask me?" My curiosity grew when I saw that dull look of him.
He sighed and eventually stopped before the three logs where Naruto used to get tied in the middle. "You're always the quickest one to conclude something among my former three subordinates. Yeah, Sakura. I need to talk to you about something that's been bothering my mind lately."
"What is it?"
"Sakura, forgive me for making your longing longer than it should be for putting him on a dangerous mission. It's been a year yet he hasn't come back yet. You must be suffering inside as if you wouldn't be able to pardon me for making him away from you. You saw everyone was holding each partner's hand at Naruto's wedding while you were just there without someone you clung onto. I'm sorry, Sakura. He should've been there to witness it by your side. But, it's the least I could do rather than sentencing him to death or encaging him for the rest of his life. And it might even break you to death. Him saving the world was not the only reason I had a mercy upon him. It's you, Sakura. The one who never stops loving him even when he had attempted to assassinate you once."
"Sensei..."
I let a long awkward pause stretched between us while trying to swallow the tears which flood in my eyes already. I caught a glimpse of guilt on Kakashi-sensei's face. He looked a bit older and worn-out with heavy bags below his eyes which slowly reduced his captivating face lines. The sharingan he once had, had been long-gone stolen by Madara. And right now, this thirty-five year old sensei was telling me something I had been questioning all this time.
"There's no need to ask for an apology, Sensei. It's all happened for a reason. And Sasuke-kun knew it was the best for him."
He stared at me for a long time and put both of his hands on my shoulders. "You've always been the strongest one, Sakura. But sometimes you just can't help it when grief and despair overcome you. It's okay to be a cry-baby-Sakura once more." He pulled me into his warm embrace and allowed me to weep like a child on his strong chest. "Let all your pain be released."
I decided to visit the remainder of Uchiha Residence the following day. I had no fear of any mystical creatures in that place. The houses had been deserted and untreated. Who would treat them anyway if most of Konoha shinobis condemned this clan? The houses were barricaded by strong wall with Uchiha's red and white fan logos on it. There was one logo that attracted me. It was cracked and stabbed with rusty old kunai. Something must have happened long time ago regarding to this, I said inwardly. Could it be that...?
"What are you doing in this debris? Sakura."
I froze from hearing that deep raw voice from behind me. It...it was so familiar in my ears that almost knocked me down. I could sense this warm and calm chakra. Silence was momentarily overcoming this situation before I turned around to catch his cold distant rinnegan stare.
"Sa...Sasuke-kun? Is that...really you?" My pulse was getting faster, thinking that it might be my hallucination or something scarier than that.
"Who are you expecting?" He asked back coldly.
"No...no one. It's just that I...SASUKE-KUN?!"
He took off his pale grey cloak and revealed the bleeding he was having on the surface of his skin.
"Please...heal me...Sakura." He almost fell when I ran forward to catch him. I brought him to sit on the veranda of one house.
"Wha...what had happened to you?" I almost stuttered by watching his terrible state. I revealed my green chakra to stop his bleeding and let him to rest on my lap. He panted slowly and began to steady his breath.
"Those Kaguya dunderheads are so wild, Sakura. I can't take them down on my own," he answered painfully.
"I must take you to hospital. Can you walk?" My chest was thumping loudly from worrying that he would possibly be dead and having him lain in my arms.
"No...Sakura. Just stay here. Heal me with everything you can do. Please...don't let me die...yet."
"What are you talking about, Sasuke-kun?! You're not going to die! I won't let you! Just stay here. I'll get some help." I nearly set his head aside from my lap when he suddenly grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently. I stopped momentarily to watch his chest heave his breath. His forehead was so damp when I removed his headband and wiped the bangs away from it.
"Sakura...do you have a little time to listen to my story?" He asked softly while keeping my hand on his chest.
"You get my whole life for it." I continued healing his wounds.
He blinked a few times to clear his vision before starting telling me his story. "You see that broken crest over there? It was my brother who threw that kunai towards it. That was just the beginning of Uchiha massacre years ago. From that moment, I had become an avenger and you have known the whole story about it. Sakura...I'm sorry for everything up till now. For the endless pain I've caused you. For attempting to kill you. And for ignoring your determined love for me all this time."
"Sasuke-kun..."
"My sins to this village are unforgiveable. I cause the wounds for Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba, Chouji, and Lee from preventing me to get further to Orochimaru. I did want to kill myself from being such a blind jerk all this time. You were always there since I suffered from that curse mark Orochimaru gave me. You protected me from that Otogakure trio even you decided to cut off your beautiful hair. You stopped the curse seal from going any further. How foolish I am for thinking that you were just a bundle of nuisance, while all you've done to me was giving your all to take me away from my darkest side. I understand how the villagers cringed at me whenever I walked past them. I'm just a rotten Uchiha prodigy who was about to destroy this village. Even though you never understood the pain I'd been through, but you're always there to make sure I had someone to be there for me. And I know I don't deserve you, Sakura." He reluctantly got up from my lap and stared deeply at my eyes as if he's gonna transfer me to another dimension with his rinnegan.
"But then I've realised that you are more than a person to be worth protected."
I couldn't take this any longer and reached out to pull him into my arms. I let the tears to flood my cheeks. His shoulders were shaking violently. I could feel his hot tears dropping upon my shoulders while he tried to maintain his breath.
"Please forgive me..."
I held him tighter to release both of our heartache. No words could describe how I was feeling right at the moment. This embrace was the least I could do to let him know that I would always be the one to accept him with widely opened arms when everybody else was ready to assassinate him. And then, he gently pulled away and touched my oversized forehead with his lightly. He stroked my teary cheek with his bleeding hand while whispering three little words that would change the rest of our lives.
"Sakura...omae o aishiteru."
Epilogue
He stood there wearing a long black robe tied on the waist with a small Uchiha crest on his right chest. Naruto was brightly smiling whilst talking to him with Kakashi-sensei by their sides. It was a month after we met and here we were. Ready to seal the vow for the rest of our lives.
"Sakura!"
"Ino!"
She grabbed me and pulled into a tight warm hug. A soft sob was escaping her lips while embracing me. "I'm so happy for you, Sakura! I thought he would never make it. I can't believe that my best friend gets to marry the guy I used to adore so much!"
"Arigatou gozaimasu, Ino." She pulled me away and fixed my veil for the last time before my soon-to-be husband hinted me to proceed.
...
"You may kiss the bride."
Sasuke lifted my veil and slowly brought his face to brush his lips with mine passionately. Everyone was cheering and clapping brutally by the time our lips touched. My comrades knew how I dealt with endless pain on the journey for rescuing him. And now he was standing right in front of me at a sacred wedding ceremony witnessed by important people of Konoha. I let a lone tear falling before he wiped it away. He took my hand to walk down the aisle whilst everybody stood up to salute our new bond. I saw Ino, Hinata, and Shizune-san cried their heart out. Even Lee-san and Yamato-taicho had their hardest to hold their own.
"Arigatou."
"For what?"
"For always keeping me in your heart and guiding me back to the right path, Uchiha...Sakura..."